


How Far I'll Go

by JayhawkWrites



Series: In Every Lifetime [10]
Category: Glee
Genre: Adult!Klaine, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anxiety, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bullying, Children's Stories, Daddies!Klaine, Daycare, Disney Songs, F/F, F/M, Football Player!Blaine, Implied suicide and suicidal ideation, M/M, Social Worker!Blaine, Songfic, Soulmarks, Therapy, Trauma, Violence, college!klaine, kid!blaine, kid!kurt, married!klaine, proposal, writer!kurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25960075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayhawkWrites/pseuds/JayhawkWrites
Summary: In a world where soulmates are found by touching one another, little Kurt, who’s been bullied even at the tender age of three, has finally found some friends. As kids do, to say goodbye, Kurt hugs three of his friends and earns himself a soulmark. The only problem? He doesn’t know who it belongs to. Filling this prompt by @justawriterwithdreams: Soulmate has a mark on the place where their soulmate first touches them.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Burt Hummel/Kurt's Mother, Jeff Sterling/Nick Duval, Noah Puckerman/OFC, Santana Lopez/Brittany S. Pierce
Series: In Every Lifetime [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1591516
Comments: 74
Kudos: 45
Collections: Glee Potluck Big Bang 2020





	1. A Dream Is A Wish

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for the Glee Potluck Big Bang 2020 challenge (thank you to the organizers [lilyvandersteen](http://lilyvandersteen.tumblr.com) and [snarkyhag](http://snarkyhag.tumblr.com) who put it together) and is part 10 (which is freaking insane to me) of the “In Every Lifetime” series [TeddysHoney](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TeddysHoney) and I are writing. If you haven’t read them yet, please check them out. They are all stand alone stories, though reading at least the first installment, ["The Unknown"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22110307), will be helpful in understanding the very end of this one.
> 
> The cover art is by the amazing [michaelscribbles](http://michaelscribbles.tumblr.com). I absolutely love it!!! Seriously...go check out his stuff on Tumblr. 
> 
> The story was beta’d, as always, by the wonderful teddyshoney. Love you lots!
> 
> Every chapter in this story will have a Disney song in it. So, when I was thinking of a title, I looked through the movies I hadn’t used and was debating between one from Brave or Moana. I love the lyrics of “How Far I’ll Go” and feel it fits this story well overall. Make sure to click on the blue hyperlinks to see accompanying photos.
> 
> I don't own Glee or Disney.

" _Once upon a time,"_ Elizabeth read, " _there were two people who liked each other very much, and they held hands. When they let go of each other, they saw a letter on their hand, right where the other touched them. The letter was called a mark, and that mark was the first letter of the other person's name, written in their own, unique handwriting. The two people didn't understand at the time, but later, they would find out that they were part of the chosen ones. When they got older, another letter appeared and that was the first letter of their chosen's last name. The chosen ones were people that found the one special person they were meant to spend the rest of their lives with. They were two parts of the same whole and were called soulmates. After that, people all over the world started having similar marks show up on their bodies from being touched by their soulmates. It was said that those lucky individuals would experience a love so deep and meaningful that others would be jealous of them until they met their soulmates. The marks are sacred and special."_

"Wha' if I has one now, Mommy?" Kurt asked in the sweetest way a three-year-old could and started to look over his pale skin.

"You could tell Daddy or me," Elizabeth replied, "and we could help you out from there."

"I wanna mark," Kurt said, looking at the storybook character's markings with longing in his eyes. "I wanna pwince to yove me f'ever." Kurt didn't have many friends, even at the young age of three. Nobody really knew how to talk to him or wanted to play the things he wanted to play. He was scared that when he went to the new daycare tomorrow, someone would like him and want to play with him but the kids that were usually at the park would be there and tell them not to play with him. At that thought, Kurt quietly asked, "Does eve'ybody get a mark?"

Elizabeth ran her fingers through her son's beautiful, chestnut hair. "Of course they do, sweetie. When it's the right time, Fate will put your soulmate in your life, and you will touch, leaving your unique mark on each other. Daddy and I have two letters, our first and last initial. We got them right away since we were older when we met. If we had met when we were little, we only would have gotten one letter, just like in the story."

"So, will my soulmate be like Quiget the Fwubby Pwumber?" Kurt asked with wide eyes.

"Who's that, sweetie?" Elizabeth asked, thoroughly confused about who on earth her son was referring to.

"He's my bestest fwiend," Kurt answered. "You can't sees him dough. Only I can."

"I see," Elizabeth said. Her son's imagination was one of her favorite things about him. "Your soulmate will be someone everyone can see, but they will be just for you and nobody else." A song came to her, and she sang it to her son.

" _Have faith in your dreams and someday  
Your rainbow will come smiling through  
No matter how your heart is grieving  
If you keep on believing  
The dream that you wish will come true_"

"Can I sees you mark, Mommy?" Kurt asked, loving the thought that there would be someone out there to love him for always.

"Yes, you can see, sweetie," Elizabeth said, showing Kurt her mark on her wrist. "When I first met your Daddy, he caught me when I stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk. I can't remember what I was looking at; all I knew was that I was scared I was going to fall on my face and get hurt. He grabbed me around the wrist, and I grabbed his forearm. So, my mark has 'BH' on my wrist where he held me, and there is an 'EA' on his forearm where I grabbed onto him."

Kurt ran his fingers lovingly over his mother's mark, relishing in the proof that his parents were meant for each other. "Wha' if my soulmate doesn't yove me?" Kurt asked, still so scared, even at his young age, that he wouldn't find acceptance.

"Sweetie," Elizabeth said, "look at me, please." When Kurt looked up, he had tears in his eyes, and this broke his mother's heart. "Our soulmates are the one person in our lives that will love us no matter what. They were made to complete us, to compliment us. All of us have things that we need help with, and our soulmate is the person who will help us be the best person we can be. And, when the time is right, that person will be put in your path, and you will touch so you both know that you are each other's soulmate. It's important to not go around touching everyone, though. You can't force Fate; it will happen the way it's meant to when it's meant to happen."

"I unnastan', Mommy," Kurt said. He didn't really like anyone touching him, because it usually hurt when they did. The boys at the park were meanie heads!

"It's going to be hard for you to be around other kids tomorrow, isn't it?" Elizabeth asked her son. She was well aware that it was going to be difficult for him. She and Burt had decided that it would be good for him to interact regularly with other kids before it was time for him to go to Kindergarten in a couple of years. He'd been at home with his mother since the day he was born, and when they went to the park, he didn't interact with any of the other kids. So, Elizabeth had gotten a part-time job at the local florist, right next door to the daycare center. She wanted to be near him in case he needed her but not so close that he didn't branch out and learn how to be a little independent.

"Wha' if the kids dare hurt me like dey do at the park?" Kurt asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"If they do," Elizabeth began, "you need to go tell Mrs. Jones. Her little girl will be there, too, and you've met her before. Remember Mercedes?" Elizabeth asked.

Kurt nodded his head, "She was supa nice to me and shareded her gol'fishes wif me when we goed to sees the daycare."

"Her mommy is in charge," Elizabeth continued to explain. "And, if anyone is not kind, you can tell her. I don't think it is going to be a problem, though. Daddy and I know all of the kids' parents in there, and they're all really nice kids. You'll learn all of their names tomorrow, but there is Mercedes, Brittany, Rachel, Quinn, Finn, David, Noah, Nick, Jeff, and Blaine. Brittany is moving to your classroom from another one, but we know her mom and dad; she's super sweet. From what Mrs. Jones told us, there's one other girl who will be starting tomorrow as well since they just moved to town. They're all really nice kids, and they will be who you're with most of the time. The only time you will be with other kids is when you're outside, and there might be another class there, too."

"David's gonna be dare?" Kurt said with a terrified look in his eyes. He was one of the biggest meanie heads at the park.

"No, sweetie," Elizabeth said, catching on to what Kurt was thinking. "It's a different David. The David you are thinking of doesn't go to daycare there."

Kurt looked back at the book that his mother was holding, and a thought came to him. "Mommy?" Kurt asked as he yawned. "Wha' 'bout Grammy? After Papa goed to be wif da angels, will she get anudder mark?"

"No, sweetie, she won't," Elizabeth answered, trying to figure out the best way to explain this for her sleepy son. "When someone dies, like Papa did, their soulmate mourns their loss but will never love again on that level; they'll never have another soulmate. They might find companionship with someone else, but they will never get another mark."

"Dat's sad," Kurt said, having woken up just a little at his mom's explanation. "I don' wan' Grammy bein' 'lone."

"She's not," Elizabeth answered. "Uncle Nathaniel lives close to her, and she has lots of friends that she spends time with. She misses Papa, but she's okay." Elizabeth hoped this answer would be enough for her son. She wasn't quite sure he would understand all about how death affected the living soulmate, especially an elderly soulmate. When someone really didn't have anyone to live for anymore, like a child to take care of, they would slowly die; around a year after their soulmate was taken from them, they would follow behind. If a parent died, the other soulmate would live in order to care for their children. Their mark would fade, and they might be able to form a companion bond with another widow/er, but they would only ever have one mark.

"'m g'ad she not 'lone," Kurt responded, yawning once more. "She's way too 'pecial."

"Sleep well, my little love," Elizabeth said and kissed him on the forehead. "Tomorrow is a big day, and you'll want to be well-rested before you meet your new friends."

"I yove you, Mommy," Kurt said and fell right to sleep, clutching his stuffed Tigger.

"I love you, too, Kurt," Elizabeth answered. She made sure the nightlight was on then closed the door until it was open only a crack.

"Burt," Elizabeth said when she got to the living room and sat beside her husband on the sofa, "are you sure we're doing the right thing? He's so scared."

"Lizzy," Burt said, resting his forehead on his wife's. "We both know he needs to interact with more than just us and those little jerks at the park if we ever want him to have faith in the world outside."

"I know," she said. "It's just so hard. He's so scared about people liking him, and he can see that he's not like other kids his age. What if they're mean to him?"

"We know all of those kids, Liz, save the new one coming in," Burt replied. "They're good kids, even if some of their parents are a little old-fashioned. Jackie will keep an eye on him and let us know if anything bad happens. She's one of the most open-minded and compassionate people I know."

"You're right," Elizabeth answered. "Of course you're right. Okay," she said. "Let's get to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day for me, too. It's been almost four years since I've worked, and I have a feeling it's going to be a struggle for me."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Burt said, standing up and holding out his hand to help his wife off of the couch. "You're a natural at arrangements and love doing that kind of work. Now, you'll get to get paid to do it."

"I love you, goof!" Lizzy said, kissing her husband soundly.

"I love you, too, goob!" Burt said, kissing her back just as fiercely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The song used in the chapter is "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella.


	2. Go the Distance

Burt and Elizabeth woke Kurt up early the next morning. They had something special they wanted to do with him before he left for his first day of daycare. They anticipated his nerves would be at an all-time high having to be away from them both. Burt helped Kurt get dressed in his new [outfit](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/2LQx74). Kurt had picked it out all by himself, proud of his own sense of style. He had picked out a pair of brown pants with a blue and white checkered, button-down, short-sleeved shirt, blue suspenders, and a brown bowtie that matched his slacks. His shoes were sturdy leather that not only were comfortable but matched the whole outfit perfectly.

"Looking sharp, kiddo!" Burt said after he had helped Kurt put the finishing touches of his outfit on.

"Fanks, Daddy," Kurt crowed, proud of the way he looked.

"Let's get you downstairs for breakfast. Afterward, Mommy and I have a special story to read to you before you head to daycare," Burt explained and picked Kurt up to carry him downstairs.

"I c'n walk, Daddy," Kurt giggled.

"I know you can, munchkin," Burt said. "I just wanted a few extra snuggles this morning."

Kurt hugged his dad around his neck and cuddled in, loving the smell of his dad's aftershave. "I'm kinda scareded, Daddy," Kurt whispered when they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Wha' if dey don' like me?"

Burt knew how unique his kid was. He liked tea parties and dress-up where most other boys his age loved trucks and dirt. Kurt also enjoyed action figures; though he'd rather marry them off to the Barbies or other action figures, he'd still play with them.

"Kiddo," Burt began, trying to figure out how to explain ignorance in a way his son would understand. "There are always going to be people out there that don't like you. No matter what you like or what you do, someone somewhere will find some kind of problem with you. All you have to do, though, is remember that you matter. You are special and loved and so, so amazing, Kurt. Don't let anyone ever make you forget that."

"Fanks, Daddy," Kurt said. "Love you!"

"I love you, too, kiddo," Burt said, willing the tears out of his eyes so his son wouldn't see how emotional he had become.

When they got into the kitchen, Elizabeth had just finished plating up Kurt's favorite breakfast: chocolate chip pancakes. Burt sat Kurt down in his booster seat and got his cup of milk. Elizabeth got a cover for his clothes, knowing how protective he was of them, and sat a plate of cut-up pancakes in front of him.

"Fank you, Mommy," Kurt said. "Dey look supa yummy!"

"You're welcome, munchkin!" Elizabeth answered. "Eat up!"

Burt and Elizabeth drank their coffee and ate their own pancakes while Kurt finished up his. When they were done, Burt cleared the table, and Elizabeth washed Kurt's hands and face before carrying him into the living room. They sat on the sofa near the fireplace and waited for Burt to join them. A couple of minutes later, Burt came in, carrying a book with a raccoon on the front of it.

"New book!" Kurt exclaimed. "We gonna read it 'fore we go, or do I gets to has it wif me at daycare?"

"We're going to read it," Burt said with a little chuckle at how excited his son was to read, "but you'll also get to take a part of it with you."

Kurt was so confused, and his parents could tell. "You'll see what we mean when we're done reading it," Elizabeth told him as she pulled him into his lap, and Burt sat down beside them so they could all see the book.

"The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn," Burt began. " _Chester Raccoon stood at the edge of the forest and cried,_ " Burt read. "' _I don't want to go to school,' he told his mother. I want to stay home with you…Mrs. Raccoon took Chester by the hand and nuzzled him on the ear…'I know a wonderful secret that will make your nights at school seem as warm and cozy as your days at home.' Mrs. Raccoon took Chester's left hand, spread his tiny fingers into a fan, and leaning forward, she kissed Chester right in the middle of his palm._ " Burt read the story until the end and then looked at Kurt. "Mommy and I would both like to give you a kissing hand, so if you need it, you can put your hand to your cheek, just like Chester did, and feel our love right there with you. You can use it today and every day after that."

"Yes, pwease, Daddy," Kurt whispered, loving the idea of getting to take a kiss from each of his parents to daycare with him. Elizabeth took Kurt's left hand, and Burt took his right. At the same time, they each kissed a palm, transferring all of the love and support they could into that one kiss.

"I give you one, too?" Kurt asked.

"Of course, you can, kiddo," Burt said and held out his hands. "Which one?"

Kurt picked Burt's right hand and Elizabeth's left and gave them each a kiss in the center of their palms, whispering, "Love you," before his lips touched each one. When he looked up at his parents, he said, "Ready now," with so much confidence, he shocked all of them. He _was_ ready, though. He knew he was important, no matter what anyone else said or did. He knew his parents loved him and that someday, he would find someone to love him like his parents loved each other. Today, he was going to be brave, just like Hercules.

Kurt began to sing as he grabbed his backpack and lunch.

" _I have often dreamed of a far-off place  
Where a great, warm welcome will be waiting for me  
Where the crowds will cheer when they see my face  
And a voice keeps saying, this is where I'm meant to be"_

Both of his parents joined in singing the rest of the song and made their way to the car. Burt drove the trio to the daycare center as they continued their song.

" _I will find my way, I can go the distance  
I'll be there someday, if I can be strong  
I know every mile will be worth my while  
I would go most anywhere to feel like I belong_

 _I am on my way, I can go the distance  
I don't care how far, somehow I'll be strong  
I know every mile will be worth my while  
I would go most anywhere to find where I belong_"

Burt dropped Lizzy and Kurt off and then headed to the garage.

"Have a wonderful day, kiddo," Burt said. "I'll see you when I get off work and pick you two up. I love you!" Burt hugged them both and then headed to work.

Elizabeth held Kurt's hand and led him in through the doors of the Little Wonders Daycare Center and Preschool. They were met by a very cheerful receptionist who helped Elizabeth get Kurt signed in and then showed them to the right room. When they arrived at the [classroom](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/0402M9), Kurt was so surprised that he had forgotten all of the cool things that he could do. He could hear upbeat music that made him want to dance.

"Mommy," Kurt gasped in awe. "Dere's a kitchen and dwess-up stuff like I has," he whispered. "And, look at alla da books!" _How did I not remember all of this?_ he thought to himself.

"There's a lot of really cool stuff in this room, isn't there?" Elizabeth asked her son, loving that he seemed excited instead of scared.

Just then, another friendly-looking lady came up to them and re-introduced herself. "Hello there," she said after squatting down to get on Kurt's level. "Kurt, I know we met the other day, but I wanted to re-introduce myself. I'm Mrs. Jones. We are all so excited to meet you. Do you see anybody in here you know?"

Kurt was bopping around to the music, and before he could answer the teacher's question, he had to ask one of his own. "Who is dis? I likes dem!"

"I'm glad you like them; they're one of my favorite bands," Mrs. Jones answered with a laugh, loving the little boy's enthusiasm. "Their name is Bond."

"Bond," Kurt repeated and then looked around the room to see if he could see anyone he knew. He saw Mercedes, a girl in a [hideous outfit](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/71R889) with a sequined car on the top and ridiculous vehicles all over the skirt, and a boy with curly black hair who he had seen when he was at the park. He had only ever talked to Mercedes before, though.

"Um…" Kurt started. "I pwayed wif Mercedes; you is her mommy, right?"

"I sure am," Mrs. Jones said. "I was hoping you'd remember her. Do you see anyone else you know?"

"Yeah," Kurt whispered. "I seed her an' him at da park 'fore," he said, pointing to the girl in the ugly dress and the boy in the [cream and green henley](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/XL9269).

"Why are you whispering, sweetie?" Mrs. Jones asked.

Elizabeth had crouched down now, too. Kurt's grip on her hand had increased, and she wanted to make sure he was alright. "What's wrong, kiddo?" she asked.

"Dat girl," Kurt said, pointing to the girl wearing the dress with the vehicles on it. "She loud and hurts my ears. And, dat boy," he pointed to the boy with the curly hair. "He…um…he pwayed wif da boys at da park dat are meanies to me. Mommy, you sayed I be safe here," Kurt said, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Kurt," Mrs. Jones said. "That boy, his name is Blaine. And, he is one of the sweetest boys I've ever met. I'm not sure why he was playing with boys who were picking on you, but did _he_ ever pick on you?"

Kurt remembered back and thought about the times he had gotten picked on and when he had seen the other boy there. "No, I don' fink so. He…um…he kinda lookeded like he was mad at dem boys when I runneded away to my Mommy."

"I bet he did get mad at them," Mrs. Jones said, hating that this sweet boy had been picked on at his age. "He's very kind, and I can't think of anyone here that will pick on you. If anyone does, you come right to me, alright? I don't allow that in my classroom."

"Pwomise?" Kurt asked, holding out his pinky, wanting to make sure that he could trust her.

"I promise, Kurt," Mrs. Jones answered and linked her pinky with his. "Now, the girl you are describing is Rachel. And, she can get loud when she gets excited about something. If you need her to quiet down, all you have to do is ask her, and she will. She hears it a lot from the other kids and me," Mrs. Jones said with a kind smile.

He could do this. These kids looked really nice, and Mrs. Jones _promised_ that he would be safe. "Mommy," Kurt said. "You c'n go work now. I'm gonna be safe."

"Alright, sweetie," Elizabeth said, never more proud of her son than she was at that moment. "I will see you this afternoon when Daddy and I pick you up. I love you!"

"Love you, too, Mommy," Kurt said and hugged her tightly.

"Let me show you where to put your stuff, Kurt," Mrs. Jones said, standing up and walking over to the coat closet. "Now, not all of the kids are here yet, so we won't get started with our morning routine until they are. Is there anywhere that looks fun to play until all of your classmates get here?"

Kurt had been eying the reading area since they walked in. "I go look at books?" he asked.

"Of course you can," Mrs. Jones said. "Just go on over, and you can sit on any of the cushions you want while you read."

"Fank you," Kurt said and walked over to the classroom's little library. He pulled out one of his favorite books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and started reading it. Kurt loved all of the colors in the book, but his favorite part was when the caterpillar transformed into the butterfly at the end. Before he could get there, though, someone came and sat beside him with their own book. It was the boy with the curly black hair.

"He-yo," he said. "I c'n sit wif you an' weed, too?"

Kurt could only nod yes. The boy was so pretty, almost like a prince from his favorite movie, and his words were stuck in his throat.

"'m Blaine," he said. "Vat's an awesome stowy. I yike vis one, too," Blaine said, holding out a copy of The Monster at the End of this Book. "My g'amma weeds it to me sometimes, an' she gets weally cwazy and pwetends to pull her hairs out when Gwover gets supa-dupa scareded."

"I don' fink I has ever readed dat one," Kurt said.

"When is my turn to pick a stowy for stowytime," Blaine began, "I tells Mrs. Jones if she can weed it. She is supa funny when she weeds it, too."

"Yay!" Kurt said, feeling much better about this boy now that he had talked to him. "I'm Kurt," he said, smiling with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Blaine smiled back at Kurt, and both boys got lost in their books until the rest of the students showed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book used is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. The song is "Go the Distance" from Hercules.


	3. When You Wish Upon a Star

"Alright, everyone," Mrs. Jones called out once all of her kiddos had arrived, and it was time to begin their morning routine. "It's time to clean up and come meet on the carpet. We have some exciting new things to talk about today."

"Tum on, Kurt," Blaine said, clearly knowing what they were supposed to be doing. "You sit by me if you wanna."

"I'd like dat," Kurt said shyly. He was nervous about meeting everyone else and was hoping that his new friend would help ease his nerves. A very bubbly blonde girl sat down next to him, and another girl sat on the other side of Blaine.

"We have some new friends with us today," Mrs. Jones said when all of the kids were in their spots. "I want everyone to say hello to Kurt and Santana."

"Hi, Kurt. Hi, Santana," the kids all said in unison.

"We're all going to go around the circle, say our names, and one thing that you really like to do," Mrs. Jones said to the group. "I'll go first. My name is Mrs. Jones, and I really enjoy singing."

"I'm Mercedes," the girl in a [black shirt and leopard print pants](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/F135FD) with a pink bow in her hair said. "I like singin' an' eatin' tater tots. They's my favorite!"

"I'm Santana," the next girl said. She was wearing a [mustard skirt with suspenders and a leopard print top](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/wW2299). Her hair was pulled up in a bun on top of her head. "I like to dance. My momma dances, and she sometimes does it at home wif me."

"'m Blaine, and I yike to weed an' pway puppets an'...Batman!"

"I'm Kurt, an' I like to read…an'…"

"Kurt," Mrs. Jones said gently, sensing that there was something else he'd like to say but was too scared to say it. "You can tell us what you like to do. Nobody here will laugh at you, and you might be surprised that others like to do those things, too."

Taking a steadying breath, and trusting that what Mrs. Jones was saying was true, Kurt said, "I like to play tea party, color, an' sing."

Hoping that she could ease her new student's nerves, Mrs. Jones asked, "Who else likes to play tea party, color, or sing?" Everyone raised their hand that they liked to do at least one of those, and Kurt beamed. "Thank you for sharing that with us, Kurt! Brittany, it's your turn."

The girl sitting next to Kurt was wearing very [brightly colored unicorns and rainbows](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/3r1jDh) all over her shirt and leggings. "I is Bwitt, an' I yike to talk to my kitty. He's super-duper-mega smart, an' he tewws me not to do naughty fings!"

"My name's David," the next boy said. He was nicely dressed in [khaki pants and a red, button-down shirt](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/E38A02). "I like to dance an' play Superman. He's way cooler 'an Batman!"

"Nu-uh!" Blaine retorted.

"Boys," Mrs. Jones interrupted sternly, "we've had this discussion before. You are all allowed to like whoever and whatever you want, and you will _not_ be rude to others if they like something different. David, that was not kind to antagonize Blaine like that. Please apologize."

"Sorry, Blaine," David said, thoroughly reprimanded.

"Is okay, David!" Blaine replied and turned his eyes to Nick to continue.

"'m Nick," a boy on the other side of the circle said. He was wearing jeans and an [Ohio State University pullover hoodie](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/67H006). "I yike to pwayin' wif puppets."

"I'm Jeff," the blonde boy wearing a graphic t-shirt and jeans said. "I like to dance an' play tea party, too!" He smiled at Kurt, who smiled back, loving that there was another boy who liked to play tea party.

"My name's Noah," the next boy said. His hair was cut into a mohawk, and he was wearing [camouflage pants and a henley shirt that said "Dude"](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/F5skpJ) on it. "I like lif'in' weights and buildin' my mupples up." The class laughed when he held up his arm and showed off his muscles.

"You're very strong, Noah, and you use those _muscles_ to make sure your friends are safe!" Mrs. Jones commented. She tried to correct words when kids got them wrong and do it in a way that wasn't embarrassing. The kids all knew this, and it was a great way for her to model her teaching tactics to the two new students. She knew that all of her kiddos would repeat the word they missed if and when she corrected them.

"Muscles," Noah repeated.

A pretty blonde girl wearing a [pale blue shirt and pink pants with navy hearts](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/82Y4Lg) on them went next. "I'm Quinn, and I love to sing, dance, and play with babies. I wanna be a mommy."

"I'm Finn," the boy next to her said. He was wearing [jeans and a shirt with a puffer vest](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/NuBgJ3) over it. "I like sports and action fingers. Ninja Turtles are the best, an' Mikey totally rocks!"

"Action _figures_ , Finn," Mrs. Jones corrected.

"Figures," Finn replied.

"Last, but _certainly_ not least, I'm Rachel," the loud girl with the too busy clothes said. "I sing, and I'm gonna be famous one day. My dads tell me alla time how big-"

"Rachel," Mrs. Jones interrupted, knowing if she didn't cut Rachel off now, they would be there all day long, listening to her talk about herself. "We've talked about how everyone's time is equal. You shared what you liked to do, and that was all I asked. Now, we've done introductions. Noah, what do we normally do when we come to circle time in the morning?"

"We do calendar an' read a yittle story 'fore we do centers."

"That's right," Mrs. Jones said. "Would you be my helper today?" He nodded that he would; Noah really liked helping out at school, because he got praise and was asked to do things instead of told like he sometimes was at home.

The group went through calendar time and then sang the days of the week song. Noah picked out A Family is a Family is a Family for Mrs. Jones to read. It was his favorite book, because it showed how different families are made. And, his family looked different than some people's since he only had a grandma who took care of him and his sister.

After reading time, Mrs. Jones broke the group up into small groups of four and put them at different centers. Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Brittany all were at the block center first, working on building, counting, and colors. Quinn, Noah, Finn, and Rachel were at the fine motor center, putting beads and other objects onto string. Mercedes, David, Jeff, and Nick were at the art center, learning how to mix colors. They all spent about 25 minutes at each center, working on different skills. Kurt enjoyed getting to know Santana, Blaine, and Brittany better.

"C'n I axe you guys sumpin'?" Kurt said when they were at the fine motor center, putting beads on strings.

"Sure," they all answered in some form.

"Would you ever wanna come to my house for a tea party?" he asked, becoming more confident that they wouldn't laugh at him. "I has a supa cool [tea set](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/NeG8q1) I getted for my birfday, and my Mommy makes yummy cookies that we could eat."

"Dat sounds awesome," Brittany said.

"I'm in," Santana said.

"'m not sure my daddy would yet me," Blaine said sadly. "But I axe him."

"Your daddy not like tea and cookies?" Kurt asked.

"I dunno," Blaine explained. "He yikes me to do 'boy' fings. But Mrs. Jones says there is no 'boy' fings or 'girl' fings, just fings kids wanna do for fun."

"That's right, Blaine," Mrs. Jones said. She had been within earshot when Kurt asked his question, and she was curious to see how her kiddos answered it. "It's just like there are no 'girl' toys or 'boy' toys. There are only toys for kids to play with and enjoy. I hope you all can go over to Kurt's for the tea party. Maybe, if you all can't, we could have one in here one day."

"Dat would be so fun!" Kurt exclaimed, thinking about how much fun it would be to have a tea party with more than his mom and dad.

"I'll look at our calendar and see where we could fit it in," Mrs. Jones said as she was getting the snack out for the class.

Blaine, Santana, Brittany, Kurt, Mercedes, and David sat together and ate their snack. Kurt really loved the fresh fruit they had and enjoyed getting to know the other kids at his table. He had been cautious all morning not to touch anyone, especially after his talk with his mother the night before. It was hard, though, because his new friends were very kind, and he knew that one way to show appreciation was a hug.

After snack, the kids all went outside to play for just under an hour. Kurt loved playing on the swings and slide. Blaine tried to talk him into playing in the sandbox with him, but Kurt politely told him he didn't want to get his clothes dirty. All of the kids loved to be outside. Well, Rachel didn't. She complained the whole time and followed Finn around like a puppy, which seemed to annoy him. But she didn't catch on. Kurt got nervous when another classroom came outside to play, and he saw one of the kids that had picked on him when he was at the park. Blaine must have noticed, too, because he, Santana, and Brittany came over to join him, Quinn, and Jeff by the picnic table. Kurt had never felt more protected by someone who wasn't his parents in his very short life.

Lunch followed their outdoor time. Kurt's mom had packed him a lunch, not sure what the food at the center would be like. She knew he was fairly particular about what he ate when he wasn't at home and didn't like to stray too much from it. If he ever had to eat some place that wasn't at home or guaranteed to have chicken strips and french fries, he ate a peanut butter sandwich, Goldfish or Cheez-its, applesauce, and pink lemonade. He told his mom that pink lemonade tasted so much yummier than plain old yellow lemonade, and from then on, that's what he got in his lunch whenever he had to take one somewhere.

After lunch, all of the kiddos washed up and pottied while Mrs. Jones got their cots out. Seeing how comfortable Brittany, Santana, and Blaine had made him, she put Kurt's cot by theirs. She was so happy that both of her new students were fitting in and worked well with the overall dynamic of the group.

Kurt got his [Winnie the Pooh blanket](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/cs6jh2) and stuffed [Piglet](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/xfwceB) for naptime and headed over to his cot. He was happy to see that Blaine also had a stuffed animal, a [bunny](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/68d7te), and his [blanket](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/m4e235) had Star Wars Rebels on it. "I love Yoda," Kurt said.

"He's coo'," Blaine agreed. "I yike Chewy…he getted cwazy hair yike me! I yike your bwanket. Tigger's my favorite. Sometimes, I yike to bounce yike him, but den my daddy tewws me dat I gots to ca'm down."

"Alright, kids," Mrs. Jones said. "It's quiet time. You don't have to sleep, but our voices do have to be shut off." She turned the lights down and turned on a CD that played soft music that Kurt sang quietly to as it played.

" _When you wish upon a star  
Makes no difference who you are  
Anything your heart desires  
Will come to you_

_If your heart is in your dream  
No request is too extreme  
When you wish upon a star  
As dreamers do_

_Like a bolt out of the blue  
Fate steps in and sees you through  
When you wish upon a star  
Your dreams come true"_

Blaine fell asleep very quickly and looked very peaceful. Kurt couldn't stop staring at him. For some reason he couldn't begin to understand or explain, he was drawn to this boy. It gave him weird feelings in his tummy, but they weren't icky feelings, just weird. _Maybe I'll talk to Mommy 'bout dem tonight,_ he thought and then fell asleep, dreaming peaceful dreams about him and someone who looked like a much older Blaine in a very strange place that had lots of strange looking people.

When Kurt woke up, Blaine wasn't in his cot anymore, and he panicked a little, thinking that everyone was gone. His brain woke up all of the way, however, and he could still hear the soft music playing. So, he knew he was still at daycare. He looked around and found Blaine in the reading area, looking through The Very Hungry Caterpillar and smiling. Before he got up, he saw that Blaine's blanket was folded up as best as a three-year-old could get it and was lying on his cot. Kurt folded his own blanket and set Piglet on top of it then walked over to where Blaine was. Santana and Brittany were there, too, reading Fox in Socks and Mr. Cow Can Moo, respectively, in silence, giggling every once in a while at the funny pictures.

Kurt sat down by them all after grabbing The Monster at the End of this Book. He was curious to read the new book after hearing how Blaine had talked about it earlier. He'd for sure have to ask his mommy and daddy if they could get it for him.

When the kids were all awake, they split back into the groups they were in for the morning and rotated through the dramatic play, manipulative, and writing centers. Kurt loved the dramatic play center. He thought it was fun to dress up and pretend to be someone else, if only for a little bit. What made it most fun, though, was who he was with. He was really starting to enjoy Santana and Brittany and hoped that the four of them would be friends for always.

After center time, it was time to read one more story all together before they went back outside until it was time to go home. Finn got to choose the book for the afternoon, and he chose his favorite one, Ferdinand. Kurt had never heard it before but loved how the bull didn't like to fight and how he wanted to try to solve problems in other peaceful ways.

Kurt was swinging when his mom and dad showed up to pick him up. When he noticed them, he told his three new friends that he had to go and, impulsively, the four of them hugged each other all at the same time. None of them would know the repercussions of that hug until they all took their baths that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used in the text is "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinnochio.


	4. I See the Light

"How was your day, kiddo?" Burt asked Kurt when his little boy ran up to him after he was done hugging his friends.

"So awesome!" Kurt crowed as he hugged his dad. "Fank you for wetting me come here."

"I'm glad you had a good day, sweetie!" Elizabeth said, hugging her son after he was done hugging Burt. "Let's go home, and you can tell us all about it."

Burt and Elizabeth listened to their little boy talk all night long about all of the adventures he'd had at daycare that day. They were happy to hear Blaine, Brittany, and Santana's names come up so often. Kurt had made friends, and they couldn't be happier for him.

That night, when Burt was giving Kurt his bath, he noticed something on his son's left collarbone. He didn't want to alarm his son with what he saw and thought that hollering for his wife would do just that. So, Burt continued to wash his son like he hadn't seen what he did and waited until he was out of the bath to call Lizzy up so they could all talk about it.

"Lizzy," Burt called as he was getting Kurt out of the bath and wrapped up in his towel. "We're headed to Kurt's room." Burt was so very thankful that they both usually did this part of Kurt's nightly routine. He needed Lizzy to see what he had seen, hoping she would know how to proceed.

Elizabeth arrived in the room right as Burt had finished putting his son into his undies and lotioning him up with the nighttime stuff that helped him sleep. "There are my two favorite guys in the world!"

"Kurt," Burt said, hoping he was going about this the right way, "who were those kids you were hugging when we picked you up today?"

"Blaine and Santana and Brittany," Kurt said, making sure to pronounce their names correctly, snuggling into his daddy's chest while his mom grabbed a book to read. "Why for?"

"Lizzy," he said and motioned to Kurt's mark before he said anything else.

"Seriously?" Lizzy said, shocked and marveling at the elegant '[B](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/8L3vQ5)' on her son's collarbone.

"Looks like it," Burt answered.

"Wha' is it, Mommy?" Kurt asked. "Did Daddy miss washin' sumpin'?"

"No, munchkin," Elizabeth said. "Do you remember the story we read last night?"

"Da one wif da marks, like you and Daddy's?" he clarified.

"That's the one," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"Uh-huh," Kurt answered. "Someday, I'm gonna gets a mark, an' dat person will love me no matta' what, an' we'll be togedder an' have lots an' lots of fun!"

"Well," Elizabeth began, "you are a very lucky little boy, because today, you got your mark. And, I'm guessing one of your friends did, too, but we'll have to wait until the morning to see which friend that is. You have a lovely 'B' right here," she said and grabbed Kurt's hand so he could touch where his mark was.

"C'n I sees it?" Kurt asked, curious to see what his mark looked like. He knew from the story they'd read the night before, and from what his parents had told him, that all marks were in their soulmate's handwriting, and he was anxious to see what it looked like.

Burt carried him to the mirror in the bathroom and helped him pull his jammies down to see it. "It's bootiful!" he said, running his fingers over it. "But Daddy, is it Blaine or Brittany? Santana's name don't start wif a 'B' sound."

"I'm not sure, kiddo," Burt answered. "We'll have to wait to see which of your other friends have a mark tomorrow. Now, let's go back and see what Mommy picked out to read tonight."

Burt and Kurt settled in next to Lizzy on the loveseat in Kurt's room and listened to her read [Pigs in the House](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/pBrp3Y). Kurt listened carefully to the story, loving the vivid pictures and laughing at all of the mischief the pigs got into, all the while keeping one finger on his mark.

After he was in bed, Elizabeth and Burt went downstairs to talk about what had happened to their son today. "He's so young," Burt said.

"I know," Lizzy replied. "But think of it this way: he will get to grow up with his soulmate. And, he is so lucky to have found them this early. They will literally have their whole lives together."

"When you put it that way, it seems pretty awesome," Burt said. "I was so worried about him, Lizzy. Surely it will be that Blaine kid, don't you think?"

"Fate chooses that," Lizzy said. "Not us. Let's wait until tomorrow and not try to question too much tonight. It won't matter one way or another."

"You're right," Burt said. "So…how you doin'?" he asked in a very Joey from _Friends_ tone of voice.

The next morning, Mrs. Jones had seven parents outside her room, all wanting to talk to her together after they had said goodbye to their kids. She wasn't quite sure what they all wanted, but there was at least one who didn't look happy to be there; so, she asked one of the floating teachers to watch her room while she took the parents to a conference room.

"You all wanted to speak to me?" Jackie asked.

"Yes," Carter Anderson said. "My son came home with a mark yesterday."

"So did mine," the other parents said.

"Okay," Jackie said, feeling out of her depth. "Let's do this one kid at a time. Mr. Anderson, what initial does Blaine have on him?"

"A '[K](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/iR4R5e),'" Carter replied. "A very curvy 'K.'"

"Alright," Jackie said, turning to Burt and Elizabeth. "Looks like Kurt is Blaine's soulmate then."

"That might not be accurate," Lucia Lopez interrupted. "Santana's mark is a '[B](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/2y84L9),' but her first name isn't really Santana. It's Kelsi. I always hated it, but her father insisted since it was a family name. Then, the asshole left us. I always called her Santana, even before he left, so that's what she goes by, even though she knows her real name is Kelsi."

"Brittany has a '[K](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/3781P8)' also," Charlotte Pierce said.

"Kurt has a 'B' on him," Burt said.

"So," Carter said, sounding very annoyed, "are you telling me that my son's soulmate could be either Santana or Kurt? Is that what you're saying?"

"That's the way it seems," Elizabeth answered. "It seems as though it could be any combination, and we won't know for sure until they turn 16 and get their second initials. Since none of us have the same letter at the beginning of our last names, we will know for sure then. Until then, though, what do we want to do?"

"They were all four pretty much inseparable yesterday," Jackie said.

Knowing her husband's thoughts on his son having a male soulmate, Claire Anderson spoke up for the first time, "Why don't we just let them be kids for now, and see how it all goes? We _won't_ actively push any of them together, nor will we keep any of them _apart_ from each other. We all know that Fate has put them with whomever they are supposed to be with, and _nothing_ we do will change that." She looked straight at her husband when she said that last part.

Benjamin Pierce agreed. "Brittany said she had the best day yesterday with her new friends. I certainly don't want to keep them apart."

The other parents agreed and then left the center, all going their separate ways. "What a way to start the morning," Jackie said aloud after the last parent walked out of the room.

The rest of the day went very smoothly. Knowing that the four newly marked kids would do better with each other, she kept them grouped together and would make sure to switch other kids in and out when the groups were larger. This part of their bonding time was important, though even she was having a difficult time figuring out who was whose soulmate. All four of them interacted so flawlessly together.

That afternoon, when they would typically have center time, Mrs. Jones allowed them to have free time instead. She was exhausted from the emotional morning and wanted some downtime to play with her students. Like the day before, she put in a CD by Bond, knowing that the kids really enjoyed the beat of the songs and the fact that there were no words to distract them from their play.

Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Brittany were all playing at the dramatic play center along with Nick and Jeff. They were all putting on a very elaborate puppet show, while Mercedes and David were watching and laughing at all of the funny things the puppets were doing. The song in the background switched, and Kurt and Blaine decided that their puppets would 'dance' now. They 'danced' together while the song played and kind of lost track of the others in the room, getting caught up in the music.

Blaine's puppet grabbed Kurt's by the hand, and they danced close, causing the boys to hold hands through their puppets. By the time the song was over, Mrs. Jones was fairly certain who was who's soulmate, though she wouldn't do anything to push either couple either way. She knew that Fate put the right person in everyone's lives, and no meddling by her would deter it.

When the song was over, Mrs. Jones said it was time to clean up and head outside to play until their parents picked them all up. The foursome played in the sandbox with Quinn and Noah. Kurt had made sure to wear clothes that he didn't mind getting dirty so he could play in the sand today if Blaine asked him. He was glad he did, because it seemed that his new friends loved to play in the sand; he would have been sad if he wouldn't have been able to join them.

Elizabeth headed over to the playground when she and Burt arrived at the center to pick Kurt up and was happy to see him playing with so many kids and having a good time. "Kurt," she called, "it's time to go."

"See you tamorrow, guys," Kurt said and hugged each of his friends before running over to his mom.

"How was your day, munchkin?" she asked.

"Good, Mommy," Kurt replied. "We makeded a puppet show and danceded to a supa' cool song. Oh, hold on," Kurt said and ran over to Mrs. Jones. "Mrs. Jones, wha's the name of dat song that playeded right 'fore you turneded off the music 'fore we comed outside?"

"That one was called 'Lullaby,'" she said.

"I likeded it a lot!" Kurt said, thanked her, and then ran back over to Elizabeth.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"I axed her 'bout the song she playeded today," Kurt answered.

"What was the name of it, and maybe, we can get it for you?" Elizabeth asked.

"'Lullaby' by Bond," Kurt explained.

"I'll see if I can download it later," Elizabeth said and made sure Kurt was all buckled in his car seat.

Kurt sang quietly in the back seat as they drove home.

" _All those days watching from the windows  
All those years outside looking in  
All that time never even knowing  
Just how blind I've been_

_Now I'm here blinking in the starlight  
Now I'm here suddenly I see  
Standing here it's all so clear  
I'm where I'm meant to be"_

"Do you wanna watch _Tangled_ when we get home, bud?" Burt asked, knowing how much his son loved that movie.

"C'n we for reals, Daddy?" Kurt asked, excited.

"Of course, we can, kiddo," Burt answered, loving his son's enthusiasm. "You know how much I love that silly horse!"

Their night was fairly uneventful aside from getting to watch _Tangled_. Kurt told them about his day at daycare and what all he had learned. He was most excited to talk about his adventures with Blaine, Brittany, and Santana though, and he would light up whenever he said their names.

That night, for bed, Kurt asked Elizabeth to reread the soulmate fairy tale. He was asleep before she was able to finish the whole story, his right hand covering his soulmark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used in the text is "I See the Light" from Tangled. Also, the reason I added the picture of Pigs in the House is that it was my absolute favorite book as a very young child. My parents tell me that when my dad would try to skip a page or said what was on the next page before he would turn it, I would get mad at him. Still to this day, he can still recite a very good portion of it.


	5. Colors of the Wind

The next several weeks went by without any significant problems at daycare. Kurt was learning to share his friends with other kids and trying not to get his feelings hurt too badly when Blaine wanted to play in the dirt with David and Jeff instead of on the swings with him. When Blaine didn't want to play with him, he would hang out with Brittany or Rachel, who was starting to grow on him a very little. She was still loud and liked to talk about herself whenever she was given a chance; but she could sing really pretty, and Kurt loved to sing whenever he could.

About two months after he started at daycare, Kurt asked his parents if he could have a playdate with Blaine. He wanted to show his friend his room and maybe watch a movie with him.

"I'll ask his mom sometime this week when we drop you off at daycare," Elizabeth said to her son. She had gotten the feeling from the meeting that Blaine's mom would be much more open to the arrangement than his dad would.

The next day at daycare, Elizabeth did not see Blaine's mom when they brought him in. She kissed Kurt, wished him a good day, and went to work. Kurt ran over to Blaine and told him the exciting news.

"Blainers," he said, using the unique name he had come up with. "My mommy is gonna axe your mommy if you c'n come over and watch a movie wif me. Won't dat be fun? I c'n show you alla my cool toys, too, an' maybe we c'n play tea party."

"Vat's awesome!" Blaine said excitedly. He really hoped his mommy and daddy would let him go over to Kurt's and play. Sometimes, his daddy got mad when Blaine talked about Kurt too much, and he didn't really understand why. Cooper talked about his friends all of the time, and his daddy never got mad at Cooper. _Grown-ups just don't make sense sometimes_ , he thought as they were reading before the rest of their classmates got there to start their day.

When everyone arrived in the classroom, Mrs. Jones called them all over to the carpet. Kurt took his seat between Blaine and Brittany and listened to what Mrs. Jones had to say. The class did their morning routine, but Mrs. Jones stopped them before they went off to their center time. "I have a special announcement," she stated, grabbing everyone's attention. "Tomorrow, we're going to have our special tea party in the afternoon, right after our rest time."

The kids all cheered, Kurt, Jeff, and Mercedes the loudest. They were so excited about this and were all mentally planning what they wanted to wear for such a special occasion. Mrs. Jones knew she needed to rein her daughter in and guessed that at least a couple more would struggle to pay attention the rest of the day.

"I sent home permission slips earlier this week in your backpacks, and everyone's have come back," Mrs. Jones explained.

Kurt was thoroughly excited for the remainder of the day, and his friends were starting to get frustrated with hearing how excited he was. At recess, Kurt asked Blaine if he wanted to play by the slide, but he said he was going to go play with David, Finn, and Noah in the dirt instead. Kurt was disappointed, but it wasn't anything that hadn't happened before. So, he didn't really overthink it.

At lunch, when Blaine sat by the same boys he had played with earlier, Kurt started to sense something was wrong with his friend. When he tried to talk to him before it was rest time, Blaine simply ignored Kurt and turned over in his cot so he wouldn't have to speak or look at him. Kurt had no way of knowing that this was how frustration was handled in Blaine's home, that whenever Blaine's parents were upset or angry with each other, they just shut down and didn't talk to the other until the feelings had passed. Kurt fell asleep with tears in his eyes, figuring out how he would ever get through the rest of the day without talking to his friend.

For the remainder of the day, Kurt was quiet and only answered questions that were directly asked of him. He didn't interact with anybody at the beginning of their afternoon centers time, and nobody interacted with him. It was like they could sense his mood and didn't quite know what to do to make it better.

Blaine had an icky feeling in his tummy that he wasn't quite sure what to do with. When it was time to switch to their second center, Kurt asked Mrs. Jones if he could just sit in the reading nook instead of finishing out his center time with his group. She had noticed the change in his mood and allowed it to happen this one time. If it became a pattern, she would intervene, and she would definitely make sure that she talked with Burt or Elizabeth about it that afternoon when they picked him up.

Mrs. Jones had been watching Kurt read through book after book during the rest of the class' center time and, more than once, saw him wipe his eyes. She had gone over to him a couple of times to ask why he was feeling sad, but he had just told her he didn't know; she wasn't familiar enough with him in this state to be able to pull it out of him. However, an idea did spring into her mind, a way for not only Kurt but her other students as well to be able to better describe and explain their feelings.

"Okay, class," Mrs. Jones said 15 minutes before it was time to head outside for their end of the day playtime. _We might be a little late to go outside, but this is important_ , she thought. "I want you to pick up what you're working on and have a seat at either the art center table or the table where we do puzzles and Legos, please. Quinn, could you make sure each table has a couple of buckets of crayons on them, please?"

"Sure, Mrs. Jones," Quinn replied and set off to do her task.

While Quinn was getting the crayons and Mrs. Jones was getting the worksheets and the storybook ready, the other kids took their seats. Noah, Finn, Quinn, Rachel, Mercedes, and David all quickly sat down at the art table since they had been near that center when they were finished cleaning up. Blaine, Brittany, Santana, Nick, and Jeff all sat down at the other table, leaving one chair open at the end by Brittany for Kurt, who took his seat quietly and hung his head so he didn't have to look at anyone.

"I know it's almost time to go outside," Mrs. Jones told her class. "And we will; we just might be a few minutes later than we usually are. I want to read an extra special book to you all today, and then, we're going to do a worksheet before we head outside. Miss Julie has said she will take those that get done outside if there are still people working, but that does not mean that you can rush through it just so you can go play outside," she said, giving Noah a stern look, knowing that was exactly what he was planning on doing.

"I wonder," Mrs. Jones continued, "if any of you ever have feelings inside of you that get all mixed up and you're not quite sure what they are or how to handle them. I am sure you all do, because I do, too. All people do, even when they say they don't. This story is called The Color Monster by Anna Llenas." She stood between the two tables so all of the kids could see the book as she read.

"' _This is the Color Monster. Today he woke up feeling confused, and he doesn't know why. Are you all mixed up again, Color Monster? Your emotions don't work well when they're all jumbled up.'_ Can you see how his colors are all mixed up on his body?" Mrs. Jones asked, pointing to the illustration of the monster's mixed up colors.

All the kids nodded, and Noah said, "Yooks yike when 'm buildin' my tower an' Finn's actin' fingers come an' wreck it!"

"It does look like a mess, doesn't it?" Mrs. Jones said, smiling. "And, it's _action_ _figures_ , Noah."

"Action figures," the little boy nodded, looking back at the picture.

Mrs. Jones turned the page and continued with the story, "' _You should try to separate them, and put each one in its own jar. If you'd like, I can help you. Let's try to make sense of how you feel. This is happiness. It shines yellow like the sun and twinkles like the stars.'"_

"The sun's big!" David pointed out. He spread his arms really wide, demonstrating its size. "Like bigger, an' bigger, an' bigger!"

"Like me!" Rachel said. "My dads a'ways says 'm gonna be a big star. Maybe like da sun!" She smiled widely and gave herself a happy little hug.

"The sun is big," Mrs. Jones agreed. "Let's try to use our listening ears so our friends can hear the story, too, okay?" She waited until everyone was looking at her book again before she continued. " _When you're happy, you laugh and jump and dance and play! You want to share your happiness with everyone. This is sadness. It is lonely and blue like a rainy day.'"_

"I don' yike wain," Blaine said.

"I love rain!" Santana said, turning to give Blaine a strange look. "My momma dances wif me ou'side when it rains!"

"Listening ears, please," Mrs. Jones reminded. "' _It washes over you like the sea. When you're sad, you hide and want to be alone. You don't want to do anything…except maybe cry. It's okay to cry, Color Monster!'_ Sometimes," Mrs. Jones added, "grown-ups and older kids will tell you not to cry. They're wrong. If you want to cry, you cry. It's your body's way of telling others that you're sad."

Mrs. Jones wanted to make sure that her students knew it was alright to have feelings and express them in healthy ways. " _This is anger. It burns red like a fire and is hard to stamp out. When you're angry, life can feel unfair. Sometimes, you want to take out your anger on others.'"_

"Don' hit," Noah said. "My Grammy says dat alla time."

"Your Grammy is a smart lady." Mrs. Jones cleared her throat and continued. "' _But I'll be nice to you, Color Monster, and your anger will disappear. This is fear. It hides and runs away like a mouse in the night. When you're afraid, you feel tiny. You think you don't have the courage to face the gray shadows. But I can help you find your way.'"_

"Mommy?" Mercedes asked, raising her hand in the air and waving it around frantically. "Mommy, is dere monsters inna dark?"

"No. There are no monsters in the dark."

"My mommy says monsters ain't real," Jeff chimed in.

"They aren't!" Quinn said confidently. "I know."

"We're almost finished, boys and girls," Mrs. Jones told them. "You only need to use your listening ears for a little longer." When everyone was looking at her again, she read, "' _This is calm. It is quiet like the trees and as light as green leaves swaying in the wind. When you're calm, you breathe slowly and deeply. You feel at peace. Now you can rest, Color Monster! All your feelings are in the right place. See?'"_ She looked at the class. "Do you see how all the colors are in the right jars?" she asked.

"No more mess!" Noah pointed out.

"That's right. All of Color Monster's feelings are in their own jars." She pointed to Color Monster's face, finishing the story. "' _Don't you feel much better? Uh-oh…I see you're feeling something new. You look different, Color Monster. Tell me…how do you feel now?_ '"

She surveyed her class when she was done reading and saw that they had all paid close attention and were ready for the next step. Mrs. Jones gave them each a paper with six jars on it and left a bunch of monsters for them to color in the center.

"You each need to get a yellow, green, red, blue, black, and pink crayon out of the bucket, and I will show you which color goes in which jar. Each jar is a feeling like in the book." She pointed out and had each child label their jar with a color before giving them their next instruction. "Now, you will color how much of that feeling you are feeling with the color. You can do this however you want. If you wish to color the jar, you can. If you'd like to draw shapes in it like in the book, you can. It's your jar to fill however you'd like. Next, you can each choose one monster from the middle of the table and either color it or take it home. These will be your own 'Color Monsters', and hopefully, they'll help you sort out your feelings when you need. If you need any help, raise your hand and me or Miss Julie will be around to help you."

Mrs. Jones put on some quiet music by The Piano Guys and let her kiddos work. Kurt indicated on his [worksheet](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/9t316x) that he was feeling a lot of sadness and fear and only a little bit of the other feelings. When he was done, Kurt decided that he wanted a friendly and fun [monster](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/8Qi2Jh) that maybe kind of looked like Quiget. When he found the perfect one, he put it in his backpack, wanting to color it at home. Kurt took his worksheet to Mrs. Jones, who asked him if he wanted to talk about his big feelings. He shook his head 'no' and asked if he could get his things and go outside to wait for his mommy and daddy. Mrs. Jones agreed to this, and Kurt went outside with Noah, Finn, and Mercedes as they were the only ones done with their worksheets and monsters. It looked like the other kids were coloring their monsters instead of taking them home.

When Kurt got outside, he didn't feel like playing, even though the other kids asked him if he would like to join them. Kurt sat on the picnic table with his backpack on and sang quietly to himself. He wasn't sure why this song was stuck in his head right now, but he sang it anyway. Maybe it's because they just read a book on colors?

" _You think the only people who are people  
Are the people who look and think like you  
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger  
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew_

_Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon  
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?  
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?  
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?_"

When Brittany and Santana came outside, followed closely by Blaine, they asked Kurt if he would like to play with them, to which he declined with a shake of his head. He all of a sudden felt like if he talked, he would start crying, and he didn't want his friends to think he was a baby like the meany heads at the park did.

Mr. Anderson came to pick Blaine up after he'd only been outside for 10 minutes. "Daddy," Blaine yelled and ran over to give his dad a hug. Mr. Anderson just patted his son on the back. He'd never been very good at showing affection. "Guess what, Daddy? We is havin' a tea party tomorrow, an' it's gonna be supa' cool!" Blaine told his dad.

"Isn't that kind of girly?" Carter asked his son.

"No, Daddy," Blaine said. "Mrs. Jones says vere is no 'girl' fings or 'boy' fings, just fings kids can enjoy and pway wif."

"We'll see about that, young man," Carter said and escorted his son to the car without a backward glance.

Kurt was close enough to hear the whole exchange. He felt a sort of hurting feeling in his heart, but he wasn't sure what it was exactly. Thankfully, Kurt's mommy and daddy came to pick him up just a few minutes later. He ran over to his dad and hugged him tightly.

"Hey there, kiddo," Burt said, sending a worried glance at his wife. "How was your day?"

"Wanna go home," Kurt mumbled into his dad's shoulder.

"Okay, buddy," Burt said and picked him up. He carried him to the truck while Elizabeth went and talked to Mrs. Jones quickly.

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked, concerned.

"I have no idea, to be honest," Jackie said. "After our rest time, he just sort of shut down and wouldn't talk to anyone unless they asked him a direct question, and even that was usually just a head nod or a one-word answer. He's feeling sad and scared about something, though. He just wouldn't tell me what. I read a book to the class before we came out to play about mixed up feelings and how to help sort them out. Then, they did a worksheet. That's the only reason I know that he's feeling sad and scared."

"Thank you, Jackie," Elizabeth said. "I'll see if he will tell us when we get home."

"Tomorrow's our tea party, so I hope he is in better spirits," Jackie said. "He was so excited when I told them earlier; it was all he could talk about until he shut down."

The Hummel's were relatively quiet on their drive home. Burt and Elizabeth knew that they needed to give Kurt a little bit of time to gather his thoughts and figure out how to talk to them. When they got home, they unpacked Kurt's backpack, just like they did every day, and sat down on the couch with a snack to talk about his day and what he'd learned.

"We readed a book 'bout feelin's," Kurt said as his mom asked about the worksheet with the jars on it. "Dats my feelin's."

"It looks like you've got a lot of sad and scared there, kiddo," Burt said. "Can you tell us why? Maybe we can help."

Kurt closed his eyes, feeling tears start to well up. "Blainers don't like me no more," he blurted and started crying, finally letting go of the pent-up feelings he had been working so hard to hold in most of the day even though Mrs. Jones and the story said it was okay to cry.

"Oh, Kurt," Elizabeth said and cuddled him tighter. "Why do you say that?"

"He stoppeded talkin' to me when I was e'cited 'bout da tea party," Kurt said. "He didn't wanna sit by me or anyfing. And den, when his daddy pickeded him up, he telled his daddy 'bout da tea party, and his daddy say'ded dat tea parties was 'girly.'" Kurt said "girly" in a mocking voice. "An', we's gots to do wha' our Mommy and Daddy says acuz they's always right. So now, he's not gonna wanna play wif me, an' I'll hafta lose my very bestest fwiend. Quiget was supa' happy for me dat I gots a new fwiend, and now, he's gonna be sad, too!"

Kurt broke down; there were too many big feelings floating around inside of him, and he just didn't know what else to do besides cry. Burt scooted over closer to Kurt and Elizabeth so that he could help comfort his distraught son.

When Kurt's tears had stopped and his breathing was back to normal, Elizabeth spoke. "Thank you for telling us all of that. I'm sure it was hard for you to keep all of those big feelings inside. Secondly, Mommy and Daddy make a lot of mistakes. All people do. None of us are perfect. We can believe different things, like how Blaine's daddy believes that tea parties are "girly" and we don't. That doesn't make one person wrong or right; it just means that we think different things. Some people are going to believe some things that don't make sense to you. You can ask questions to see if they can help you understand, and asking it doesn't mean that you will change your mind. You can agree to disagree and then move on. Sometimes, people can be really passionate, which means they care about it a lot, about what they believe, and they will hurt other people either on purpose or on accident. Hurting someone is never okay. If you do it on accident, you listen to them and apologize for doing so, making sure to never do it again. Hurting someone else on purpose, no matter what you believe, is not a good thing."

"So," Kurt asked, "maybe Blainers' daddy finks dat tea parties is 'girly,' but maybe Blainers don't?"

"Maybe," Burt answered. "That's something you'd have to ask Blaine."

"But den why he stoppeded talkin' to me today?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not sure, sweetie," Elizabeth said. "Sometimes, people get overwhelmed. Do you know what that means?"

Kurt shook his head. That was a huge word, and he had no clue what it meant.

"It means that sometimes," Burt explained, "there is a lot of stuff moving around or someone talking a lot or loud, and it's all going on at the same time. People start to feel too much all at once, and we just don't know what to do. So, we don't do anything, or we leave the place that's making us feel that way. Does that make sense?"

"I fink so," Kurt said. "So, maybe when I talkeded to Blainers 'bout how e'cited I was, it was over-over…botherin' him?"

"It's a possibility," Elizabeth said. "Maybe you can ask him tomorrow."

"Okay," Kurt said, thankful that he had a possible reason why his friend was acting so differently today. He became his bubbly self again for the rest of the night, excited to see his friend tomorrow and talk to him about what had happened that day. Kurt wanted to apologize for upsetting Blaine if he had and try his very best to not do it again.

Kurt woke up the next morning in happier spirits than when he fell asleep. He'd had dreams of him and his friends playing together and singing together, so he hoped that all of the icky feelings he had been feeling wouldn't stick around. Burt came in and helped Kurt get dressed in the nice outfit he had picked out for the tea party, and then, the two proceeded to the kitchen to have breakfast with Elizabeth.

Both of his parents were glad to see Kurt in a better mood than the previous day. Neither one of them liked to see their son's feelings hurt. They knew it was part of growing up, but it didn't mean they had to like it.

Kurt arrived at daycare with all of his 'happy' jar filled up. He sat on the carpet, reading books while the rest of his classmates came in. Kurt was content. That all changed when circle time started, and Blaine wasn't there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The book used is The Color Monster by Anna Llenas and the song is "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas.


	6. Let It Go

"Mrs. Jones?" Kurt asked before she started her lesson. "Where's Blaine?"

"Blaine won't be here today," Mrs. Jones told the class. "His dad called him in."

There was a collective groan throughout the class when they heard their friend wouldn't be there. Kurt automatically thought the worst. _His daddy won't let him come to the tea party because it's too girly._ _Maybe I shouldn't like so many girly things, and then Blainers' daddy would let him come over and play with me._

For the remainder of the day, Kurt was quiet again and hardly participated in the tea party. When it was time for recess, he played in the sand with some of the other kids even though he was wearing nice clothes. At rest time, he left his stuffed Piglet on the floor under his little cot. At afternoon center time, he didn't play in the dramatic play area unless it was with the shark puppet, which honestly scared him a little.

Mrs. Jones had been watching him all day, and after seeing him not participate in two of his favorite things, the tea party and dramatic play center, she decided to talk with him when it was time for the rest of the class to go outside.

"Kurt," Mrs. Jones said as he was gathering up his backpack, "could you come and help me with something before you go outside?"

He loved to help, so he readily agreed and met her in the reading nook where she was straightening up some books. "Are you feeling better than you were yesterday?" she asked gently.

"A little," Kurt replied. "I was lots better dis mornin', and den, I started feelin' sad and scareded again when…" He wasn't quite sure how much to say, so he stopped.

"When Blaine didn't come to daycare today?" she guessed.

Kurt nodded his head.

"You know, I heard what his daddy said yesterday, and I want you to know that I stand by what I have said and what I teach my class. There are no boy or girl activities or toys, just things for all of us to enjoy, even adults. But sometimes, some people don't agree with that."

"But wha' if he's my soulmate, an' his daddy won't let him see me?" Kurt said, getting to the root of the problem he had been wrestling with in his mind.

"Kurt, is that what's been bothering you?" Mrs. Jones asked. She knew, deep down, that if Mr. Anderson had a problem with his son playing with "girly" things that a male soulmate would not go over well in his books. _Maybe I can hold some sort of educational night where I can talk about this stuff with parents._

Again, Kurt nodded his head, feeling better, having finally told someone what was filling up his fear jar.

"How about this?" Mrs. Jones offered. "You keep being your wonderful self and not who you think other people want you to be, and everything will fall into place the way it's supposed to. That's how Fate works. You get your soulmark because you're meant to be with that one person, no matter what anyone else thinks or says. So, if your soulmate is Blaine, then everything will work out okay. If it's Brittany, everything will work out okay there, too. And, you've got a while before you really need to worry about any of that."

"So, wha' does I do wif my worries now?" Kurt asked. He liked what she was saying, but there were still worries in his head.

"Well, there are a couple of different kinds of worries. Did you know that?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"Nope," Kurt answered. He thought that there was only one kind of worry.

"Lots of people don't know that there are different kinds of worries," she answered. "Our body does a good job, most of the time, of warning us if something is dangerous. That's one kind of worry, the ones that keep us safe. The other kind of worry is about things we can't control. Everybody worries about things they can't control like the weather or what other people think about them. Those are the worries we _can_ do something about."

"Dere's lots I can't con'rol," Kurt answered.

"You're right," Mrs. Jones answered. "Most of my worries are about things I can't control, too. I found something that helps me, and I think it might help you, too."

"Wha's dat?" Kurt asked.

"What if we made a worry monster, and whenever he started talking to you, you could tell him to 'go away!'" Mrs. Jones offered. "You can also sing a super cool song that talks about letting all the things go that are bothering you. I have it on my phone and can play it if you'd like."

"Yes, pwease," Kurt said. "C'n I draws my worry monster an' listen?" Kurt asked, thrilled at the idea of being able to tell his worries to get lost.

"You sure can!" Mrs. Jones said and made sure to let Miss Julie know that they would be inside a little longer in case Kurt's parents showed up before they were done. After Kurt got his paper and crayons, a song had started, and he knew exactly what it was. A huge smile spread across his face, and he began to sing.

" _The snow glows white on the mountain tonight  
Not a footprint to be seen  
A kingdom of isolation  
And it looks like I'm the queen_

_The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside  
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried  
Don't let them in, don't let them see  
Be the good girl you always have to be  
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know  
Well, now they know_

_Let it go, let it go  
Can't hold it back anymore  
Let it go, let it go  
Turn away and slam the door  
I don't care what they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on  
The cold never bothered me anyway_"

Kurt spent the rest of the time that was left until his parents got there drawing his worry monster. He named him [Joe](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/v97e47). Joe was red and black striped. He had big black horns on top of his head and sharp teeth. Joe had claws on his hands and feet, too.

Elizabeth poked her head inside after Miss Julie told her that Kurt was inside with Mrs. Jones and saw Kurt sitting at the art table while Mrs. Jones was getting things ready for the next day and straightening up. "Hey, sweetie," she said. "What are you working on?"

Kurt looked up, excited to see his mom. "Mommy!" he said and ran over to her to give her a hug. "Come see Joe!" He grabbed her hand and led her to the table where he was working. "Dis is Joe. He's my worry monster. An' when he starts talkin' to me, I c'n tell him to go 'way and stop buggin' me."

"Wow," she said, wondering what all had happened that day to warrant her son drawing a worry monster. She looked up at Mrs. Jones, hoping the teacher could help fill in some blanks.

"Kurt," Mrs. Jones said. "Would you like to tell your mommy what all happened today, or would you like me to do it?"

"Umm…" Kurt thought aloud.

While her son was thinking, Elizabeth sent Burt a quick text to come in. She didn't know why, but she felt like both of them would need to hear this.

"I fink I wanna try," Kurt said. "But you help me if I need you?" he asked Mrs. Jones.

"Of course! I'll help if you need me to," Mrs. Jones answered as Burt walked in the room.

"Hey, buddy!" he said as he bent down to greet his son with a hug and a kiss to his forehead.

"Hi, Daddy!" Kurt said and hugged his dad back. "I's gonna tell Mommy 'bout why I has to makeded a worry monster. You wanna hear, too?"

"I'd love to, Kurt," he said and sat down beside his son.

"Blainers didn' come ta schoo' today," Kurt started. "I started finkin' dat it was acuz his daddy sayed da tea party was too 'girly,' and den, I gots to finkin' dat maybe his daddy would let him come pway wif me if'n I didn't like 'girly' fings. So, I didn't like da tea party, and den, I pwayeded in da sand wif da other boys." Kurt stopped to check-in with Mrs. Jones to see if he had missed anything yet. She nodded that he was doing well, and he continued. "An' den, I didn't sleep wif my Piglet acuz I didn't know if dat was 'girly,' too, since girls has stuffed aminals, too. An' den, I pwayed only wif da scawy puppet and not da kitchen stuff. I's supa quiet today and didn't talk wif anyone really. An' den, Mrs. Jones telded me 'bout da worry monster, an' here he is!"

"You remembered all of that amazingly, Kurt!" Mrs. Jones said. "Can I add one more thing that I think is super important?"

Kurt nodded, wondering what he forgot.

"I also talked with Kurt about being himself."

"Oh, yeah," Kurt interrupted. "C'n I tell dat part, too?" Mrs. Jones nodded, and Kurt continued. "She telded me dat Fate will take care of eve'yfing an' dat I just needa be me acuz I'm pretty awesome. An' if'n it's Blainers or Brittany dat's my soulmate, Fate has dat all figured out, an' when it's time to happenen, it will."

"Mrs. Jones is exactly right, Kurt," Elizabeth said. "I know you, and I know that we'll have to help you with your worries. But maybe Joe can help, too. You tell him to go away whenever he starts whispering worry thoughts into your ear, and if you need me and Daddy's help, you tell us. We'll do our best to help."

"Okay, Mommy," Kurt said. "I fink I'm ready to go home now if'n dat's okay."

"That's perfectly okay, buddy," Burt said. "Do you have all of your things?"

"Uh-huh, Daddy," Kurt answered.

For the remainder of the week, Kurt could be heard every once in a while saying "go away" or "get lost" to nobody in particular. Blaine hadn't come back all week, and Mrs. Jones wondered what Kurt's worry monster was whispering in his ear. Kurt never came to ask for her help with it, but he did go back to doing his usual activities.

The following week at daycare, Blaine was back, and Kurt couldn't have been happier. That is until he heard Blaine talking to Finn and Noah about where he was.

"Yeah," Blaine said, "I was supa' dupa' sick. When I telded my daddy vat I was sad 'bout missin' va tea party, he sayed vat it wasn't a big deal, and ven, he watcheded Mons'er Jam wif me. So, 'm not sad vat I misseded it anymore."

This made Kurt sad, and Joe started whispering in his ear. Kurt had stopped telling him to "go away" now and had instead started singing the song Mrs. Jones had played for him. After he heard this, he started to sing quietly in the book area.

" _Let it go, let it go  
Can't hold it back anymore  
Let it go, let it go  
Turn away and slam the door  
I don't care what they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on  
The cold never bothered me anyway_"

Kurt didn't seek out Blaine's companionship anymore. He was too afraid of the rejection from his friend. Not being around Blaine gave him a sad feeling inside his heart that he didn't tell anyone about. If Blaine asked to play with Kurt, he would in a heartbeat. He tried to not be overwhelming so maybe his friend would want to play with him more often. Some days, it seemed like Blaine wanted to play with him more than others.

Mrs. Jones had noticed the difference in Kurt and decided that she would take her own advice. If the boys were meant to be together, they would be. Neither one was hurting the other so there was no reason for her to step in. She wasn't going to try and force it, even though she thought the boys complimented each other perfectly, as did Brittany and Santana.

The rest of Kurt's time at daycare and then preschool went by similarly. When Blaine wouldn't play with Kurt, Kurt chose to hang out with Brittany and Quinn. They both became his very best friends, and they had play dates all the time. Sometimes, Santana would join them, but it was rare due to her mom's work schedule.

Kurt never did ask or remind his mom about asking Blaine's parents for a play date.

" _Let it go, let it go  
Can't hold it back anymore  
Let it go, let it go  
Turn away and slam the door  
I don't care what they're going to say  
Let the storm rage on  
The cold never bothered me anyway_

_My power flurries through the air into the ground  
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around  
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast  
I'm never going back, the past is in the past_"

By the time it was time to start kindergarten, Kurt knew and understood more about what Mrs. Jones had been saying about if things were meant to be they would be. He loved hanging out with Blaine when the other boy asked him to. But it wasn't a necessity anymore like it had felt like when they'd first met. It still felt funny when they weren't around each other, something he definitely didn't feel in regards to Brittany.

"I gotta let it go, Quiget," Kurt said to his imaginary friend the night before kindergarten started. He didn't really see his imaginary friend anymore, but sometimes he still talked to him when he needed to get things out of his head.

Kurt had learned that Blaine wasn't going to be at the same school as him anymore. This made Kurt very sad, but he felt almost relieved at the knowledge. He wouldn't have to pretend and worry so much if Blaine was going to play with him that day or not. He was super happy, though, because Brittany would be at his school along with Mercedes, Jeff, Finn, and Rachel. Okay, so maybe he wasn't excited about Rachel, but he was happy that some of his friends would be at his school.

" _Here I stand  
In the light of day  
Let the storm rage on  
The cold never bothered me anyway!_"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Let It Go" from Frozen.


	7. Baby Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Implied suicide and suicidal ideation

When Burt and Elizabeth walked Kurt into Unity Elementary the next morning, after having taken the obligatory first day of kindergarten pictures with the year and his teacher's name on the sign, they felt their son's hand tense in theirs. They thought they had done an alright job over the past few weeks of describing what this day would be like. Kurt had told them he understood, but maybe what he was picturing didn't do it justice.

Kurt didn't have a whole lot of time to panic before a very bubbly Brittany came over to greet him. "Come sit by me, Kurtie," she said. "We're both in Mrs. Morris' class so we can sit together. I've seen other kids from preschool here, but they're in different classes."

He smiled at his friend, glad that she was going to be in class with him. "Okay, Britt," he said. "I'll see you after school, Mommy and Daddy." His parents bent down to give him a hug and kissed his cheeks.

"Have a great day, sweetheart!" his mother told him.

"Learn lots, kiddo," his dad said. Then, both Burt and Elizabeth walked out of the gym and headed to work, hoping for the best.

When Brittany led Kurt over to their line, he was happy to see Jeff in his class, too. Mercedes, Rachel, and Finn were in the line right next to them, and Kurt saw one of the biggest playground bullies in the other kindergarten line. Derek was talking to some other kid standing next to him, and it didn't look like he had noticed Kurt yet.

"I'm so happy you're in my class, Kurtie," Brittany said to him once they were settled on the floor and waiting for their teacher to come and lead them to their classroom.

"Me, too, Kurt," Jeff said with a blinding smile. Kurt hadn't really gotten to know Jeff very well at preschool and daycare. He liked his smile, though, and hoped that they could be friends.

"I'm happy, too!" Kurt replied to both of them.

Just then, their teacher came into the gym to gather them and lead them to their room. When they arrived at their classroom, the teacher told them all to go find the desk with their name on it and set their backpack on the floor next to them for right now. Kurt found his desk and was happy to see that he was grouped with Brittany. Jeff was in a group right next to him. He took a breath and sat down in his chair.

"Good morning, everyone!" the teacher at the front of the room said cheerfully. "In case you guys don't remember from Open House the other night, my name is Mrs. Morris." She went on to talk about classroom expectations and the typical first day of school stuff. Kurt took it all in; he didn't want to mess anything up.

Kurt enjoyed his first day of kindergarten immensely. He'd always loved to learn and was actually quite advanced for his age. He loved art and reading time the best. He told the most elaborate stories and was so happy that he got to share them with one of his best friends, even if some of the kids weren't so nice.

The one place he struggled was socially, and he always had. It was one of the reasons why making friends with Blaine had been so amazing. He didn't judge Kurt on anything he liked and was always there for him until he wasn't.

It was about a month into the school year when Kurt desperately wished Blaine was at his school. There was this one kid, Derek, who was also in kindergarten but not in his classroom, that was causing him a lot of trouble on the playground. Coincidentally, he was in Finn's class, and they seemed to be fast friends since they both liked sports. Finn never said anything when Derek would make backhanded comments to or about Kurt, which hurt his feelings even more.

 _Blainers_ , he thought with tears in his eyes one particularly rough day after a field trip, _I miss you_.

All of the kindergarten classes had gone to the pumpkin patch, and Kurt had had a wonderful time there. That is until he fell asleep on the way back to the school. His mom had accompanied them as a chaperone but, unfortunately, was at the front of the bus, and Kurt was sitting toward the back. Kurt had been seated with Finn since their class had an uneven number of kids and Kurt said that he didn't mind. Jeff and Brittany were toward the front of the bus, and they were really the only two kids in his class that he felt comfortable talking to and hanging out with.

When they got back to the school, Finn shook Kurt awake, and he heard some of the kids around him laughing. Kurt stood up but couldn't walk properly. Someone had tied his shoelaces together, and instead of holding everyone up to try and untie them, he shuffled off of the bus as best as he could. Before he got completely off of the bus, he turned to Finn in a moment of strength and said, "I thought you were my friend," and gently made his way down the bus steps, doing his best not to fall over. Thankfully, his mother was right there.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" she asked, seeing the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Can we go home, please?" Kurt asked instead of answering his mother.

Elizabeth picked Kurt up and looked at Finn, who was watching them instead of going toward his mother. He looked remorseful about something, though she was in no mood to reprimand him or talk to his mother about what had happened. Her main concern right now was getting her son home. When they got home, Elizabeth carried Kurt into the house and set him on the sofa so she could start untying the many knots in his shoes.

Being home, Kurt finally felt safe enough to let go of all of the emotions he was holding inside. He cried and wept for everything sad and hurtful that had happened in his short life. He cried for how the bullies on the playground made him feel. He wept for the loss of his best friend and how he just somehow knew a hug from Blaine would make everything better right now.

"Why're they so mean to me, Mommy?" Kurt stuttered through his tears. "I didn't do anything to them, and they're so, so mean. I miss Blaine. Brittany and Jeff are the only friends I have there. I thought Finn was, too, and he let them be mean to me anyway. I don't see Rachel and Mercedes enough for them to be good friends. Mommy, my heart hurts."

Instead of answering, Elizabeth sang.

" _Baby mine, don't you cry  
Baby mine, dry your eyes  
Rest your head close to my heart  
Never to part  
Baby of mine_

 _Little one, when you play  
Don't you mind what they say  
Let those eyes sparkle and shine  
Never a tear  
Baby of mine_"

"Sweetheart," Elizabeth said, "sometimes, kids are going to be bullies, no matter who you are. There are going to be people who don't like anything about you. And, you will have a choice. You can let it affect how you live, or you can let it make you stronger. Those other kids, they can't see how incredibly special you are. Or, maybe, they can, and that scares them. Whatever the reason, you get to decide what you do next. Do you fight back, do you let it crush you completely, or do you let it make you stronger?"

"I wanna be strong, Mommy," Kurt said with determination.

"You _are_ strong, my little love," Elizabeth whispered and hugged him for all he was worth. "This is just going to make you that much stronger."

* * *

That night across town, another kind of bully was having his eyes opened. Carter and Claire Anderson had left their kids with a sitter so that they could have a date night. Claire loved musical theater, and so, when a show she'd wanted to see for ages came to Columbus, she bought tickets and told her husband they were going. Carter may have seemed all big and bad, but in reality, he'd do anything to make his wife happy.

During intermission, Carter cried. The show his wife had dragged him to, the one he'd grumbled to himself about in the mirror that night as he'd straightened his jacket and adjusted his tie, _Dear Evan Hansen_ , changed something inside of him. He recognized something in the characters on the stage that he never wanted to see reflected in his children. He never wanted to fear that something he'd said or something he'd done would push his boys that far, make them contemplate what Evan had contemplated, or, even worse, make them go through with it like Connor. He never wanted his children to feel unaccepted or unloved by him. That night, as he sobbed, his face buried in his wife's shoulder, he vowed that no matter what, he was going to prove to his boys that he accepted and loved them. He was going to make sure they knew that it didn't matter who their soulmate was or what career they chose; whatever path Fate had chosen for them, he loved them all the same. From that night forward, whenever Carter heard a song from _Dear Evan Hansen_ , he would remember the way he'd felt that night; he'd remember the revelation he'd had, the vow he'd made to himself, and he'd smile. With each song he heard, he knew, as he had that night in the audience, sobbing and sniffling, that he was on the right path; nothing could have made him happier.

The following day, Carter took Blaine out for ice cream.

"Blaine," he said after they'd got his pralines and cream and Blaine's mint chocolate chip and sat down at a more secluded table, "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Daddy," Blaine said with a little ice cream on his upper lip. "I haven't been playing with any 'girly' things, I promise. Even when the girls want to play at school, I don't. I just play with the boys."

Carter sighed. He hadn't realized how much he'd really pushed this issue and how much he was stifling his son. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Just listen, okay. Unless you have a question, and then, you can stop me and ask, okay?"

"'kay, Daddy," Blaine said and went back to eating his ice cream.

"I was wrong to say those things to you," Carter said, all but abandoning his own ice cream so he could get all of this out. "My daddy told me those things when I was little, about certain toys and activities being 'girly' and not for boys, and I thought that's how I should raise you, too, and your brother. But I'm wrong, and so is anyone who thinks this way. You once told me that there are no girl things or boy things, just things for kids to play with and enjoy. You were right, and I was wrong. I want the best things for you, Blaine. I know now that it means letting you decide the things you like and the things you don't like. And, no matter who your soulmate is, Santana or Kurt, I know that they will be the luckiest person alive to have been matched with you."

Blaine was kind of in shock, or as much shock as a six-year-old could be in. He had always gotten the impression that his dad didn't like Kurt, so to hear him say that threw him for a loop. "So, it's okay for me to be friends with Kurt?"

"Yes," Carter answered, wanting to kick his own ass after hearing his son's question. "You can be friends with whomever you want, as long as they're positive friends and nobody is hurting you. I'd rather you not be making friends with kids who get into trouble all of the time."

"If he still wants to be my friend, can I invite Kurt over to play sometime or watch movies?" Blaine asked.

"Why wouldn't he want to be your friend?"

"It seemed like after I missed the tea party in daycare, he didn't really wanna be my friend as much as he did before," Blaine said, remembering how distant his friend had become and how he'd never sought him out to play with after that week he missed.

"I think your mom still has the contact list. Would you like her to call and see if he can have a playdate?" Carter asked. He remembered that tea party. He'd been livid and was almost thankful his son had gotten sick so he wouldn't have to participate in it. _I'll do better. I'll do things with him that he likes and not what I want to make him more boyish._

"Can we really?" Blaine asked, his eyes lighting up with hope.

"We can," Carter said.

The following day, Elizabeth got a call from Claire Anderson. At first, she was shocked. She actually asked if Carter knew she was calling. Claire laughed and said that it had been his idea. Elizabeth knew that a playdate with Blaine would do amazing things to help heal Kurt's heart. She asked if they could do it at the Hummel house first and let Claire in on what had been happening with Kurt at school. Claire's heart broke for Kurt and agreed that the following weekend, she would bring Blaine to their house while she went out and ran errands. Elizabeth thanked her, and then, they hung up.

After his mom told him about the playdate, Kurt was both nervous and excited to see his friend again. He wasn't sure what Blaine would want to do, so he didn't really plan anything for their time together. When the doorbell rang the following Saturday and Blaine came into the house, neither boy knew how to act. Finally, Blaine walked up and hugged his friend. He had missed him more than he'd realized.

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine whispered.

"Hey, Blaine," Kurt whispered back. His heart felt like it was healing, having Blaine so close to him. When they parted, Kurt asked, "What would you like to do today?"

"Well," Blaine said, "I've been thinking about that since our mommies talked, and I think I'd like to have a tea party, if that's okay with you."

Kurt's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Really?" he said in a pitch much higher than his normal speaking voice.

Blaine flashed a huge smile. "Really!"

That day, the boys rekindled their friendship, and their parents decided that both boys seemed happier overall after that first playdate. The Anderson's hadn't noticed a drastic change in their son after the missed tea party in daycare until after the tea party he had with Kurt. He was happier and more outgoing after that, almost like his skin fit properly again. And, Kurt? Kurt was more confident in himself and didn't let the bullies get him down like they had.

For the rest of his elementary school years, Carter and Claire decided to enroll Blaine in the Arts Magnet school after he finished kindergarten. He had always shown great talent in the arts, and they wanted him to be able to hone his skills. Carter had been against it when they were enrolling him for kindergarten, not wanting to encourage his "girly" behaviors. Now, though, he wanted to make sure his son was who he was and had the tools and skills to be able to be whomever he was meant to be.

Kurt built a strong friendship with Brittany throughout the rest of their elementary school years. He knew that no matter who the 'B' belonged to, he would be loved beyond measure and that he would love them back just as much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Baby Mine" from Dumbo.


	8. Reflection

Kurt had become accustomed to his best friend not being at the same school as he was, so when he started fifth grade at Lima North, he wasn't terribly heartbroken that Blaine wasn't there with him. They still had their get-togethers--they didn't call them play dates anymore--at least once a month. Each time, they would alternate whose house they went to and would always have a good time. Sometimes, Blaine would teach Kurt something he'd learned in one of his art classes or play a song for him on either the piano, violin, or guitar. Other times, Kurt would tell him a story he made up about some fictional character in a made-up world, or they would have a tea party of sorts. Most of all, though, they loved watching Disney movies together and singing.

What did make him happy about starting school, though, was that he got to see all of the other friends he had made way back in preschool again. Best of all, Brittany was happy to be able to see Santana again, and the three of them became almost inseparable.

Much to his surprise, Kurt made fast friends with a kid during his first week of fifth grade named Frederick. Fred, as he liked to be called, was about Kurt's height and had dirty blond hair that was pretty shaggy. It was long in the front and trimmed on the sides and back. Fred was a bit on the stocky side, but Kurt didn't really mind at all. Fred had green eyes and a shy smile which was one of the reasons Kurt felt they'd hit it off so well; they were both kind of shy. The boys loved to play together on the playground and talk about various things at lunch.

Around the middle of October, Kurt saw a girl sitting by herself at lunch and recognized her from Kindergarten. Her name was Diane; she looked lonely, and since he knew exactly how much it sucked to feel that way, he sat with her.

Fred, apparently, didn't like that. He was one of those types that believed you could only be friends with one person at a time, so he kept trying to pull Kurt's attention back to himself whenever Kurt would talk to Diane at recess or sit with her at lunch. Kurt would respond to Fred interruptions but didn't stop talking to Diane.

One day at lunch, Fred got really mad and didn't talk to Kurt for the remainder of the day. By the time the end of the week came, Fred still hadn't talked to Kurt at all, no matter how much he tried to engage with his friend. Kurt was completely confused and distraught.

That weekend was one of Kurt and Blaine's monthly get-togethers, and Kurt was feeling very off. So, when Blaine asked him about it, Kurt told him what had happened and just cried. He couldn't figure out what he had done wrong and why Fred wasn't talking to him. Blaine had held and hugged Kurt while he was crying, making sure he was completely calmed down before talking to him.

"Some kids are just like that," Blaine told him. "They only want you for themselves and will do anything to get what they want. So, it seems like you're going to have to make a choice and decide which one you're going to be friends with."

Kurt decided that he wanted to try one more time to talk to Fred. The following Monday, he made one last attempt. Fred told him, "I'm not speaking to you until you stop talking to her. If you don't, I'll never be friends with you again."

That solved Kurt's problem for him. He stayed friends with Diane, though there was a huge hole in his heart where his friend once was. Kurt hated disappointing people, and it hurt worse that this was a friend he had made on his own. Brittany and Santana helped any way they could and tried to give him advice, but Kurt felt like this was something he needed to do and figure out for himself. He knew that those two girls would be there for him no matter what, though, as would Nick and Jeff. They were also both at the same school as he was, and the five of them were pretty close.

Diane and Kurt remained friends until the end of February when she decided that Kurt wasn't 'popular' enough for her anymore and left him alone to be with a different group of girls that were popular. This left an even bigger hole in Kurt's heart, and thoughts of his friendship with Fred began to eat at him again. Kurt was so confused; why did the people who claimed to be his friends leave him so seemingly easily and quickly? He just really wanted to have friends that he made on his own, not ones that he felt like a third-wheel around like he often did with Brittany and Santana and Nick and Jeff.

One cloudy and cold day while they were out at recess, Kurt decided that he was going to say something to Fred, who was standing by himself, watching some of the other kids play four-square. He turned and looked at Kurt when he approached, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I know that you don't want to talk to me, but I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I understand if you don't want to be friends again, but if you do, I'd be happy to hang out with you," Kurt said and then walked off to give him space to think about it.

Fred never did come to talk to Kurt, and Diane never tried to make amends. It was then, that year in fact, that Kurt learned a very hard lesson. He learned that there are some people in the world that will use you to get what they want, no matter who they hurt along the way. Kurt knew how that felt now, and he was determined to never let it happen again.

After that incident, Kurt struggled even more to make friends, and when he wasn't hanging out with Brit and San, he was with Nick and Jeff. He talked about the incident very briefly with his parents and Blaine, though he didn't want them worrying about him more than he knew they did, so he never went into detail about anything negative happening at school.

Seventh grade brought yet another school change. He was now attending Lima West with San, Brit, Nick, Jeff, Mercedes, Quinn, and Rachel. Unfortunately, he got put into a class with some of his childhood bullies. Kurt had secretly hoped that they would have grown out of that stage over the past few years, but that obviously hadn't happened. He was lucky enough to have at least one of his friends in all of his classes except gym class. In gym, he only really knew Finn.

Kurt still had hard feelings toward Finn in regards to the shoelace tying incident that had humiliated him in kindergarten. He knew he should probably let it go, but it was hard. Finn didn't outright pick on him ever, but he also didn't stop others from doing it either, just like in kindergarten. That is until one day after gym in seventh grade, sometime right after they had come back from Christmas break.

That particular day in February was one Kurt would never forget. They had played dodgeball in gym that day as a "fun" activity instead of basketball like they had been playing all week. It was a Friday, and he was convinced that Mr. Hughes just didn't want to teach that day. He did things like that sometimes. Finn was on the opposite team from Kurt. Kurt, to his credit, was actually pretty good at dodgeball. He had great aim, and though he couldn't throw the ball particularly hard, his aim was right on target.

In between games, David, Azimio, Shane, Brent, Joey, and Finn were all huddled up, trying to figure out a better strategy. They were tired of losing.

"So, here's what we're going to do," Brent said, leading the discussion. "That flaming princess, Hummel, is knocking us out left and right. We need to all aim for him at the same time. I don't care where you hit him, but he needs to be taken out."

"Dude," Finn interjected, "just make sure you don't hit him in the face. That's an automatic disqualification, and we'd lose that game."

"I said I don't care where you hit him," Brent spat. "Knock his ass out for all I care. We take one loss now, and then, we can win the rest if he can't play."

Finn wasn't feeling right about the plan, but he really didn't want these guys on his bad side either. So, he went along with it. Right after Mr. Hughes blew the whistle to begin, Finn's team ran up to the line to grab the rubber balls, and when Brent yelled "now," all of them threw their ball as hard as they could at Kurt. All but Finn that is. He threw his ball in Kurt's direction, but it "slipped" and hit the wall several feet from where Kurt was standing.

Mr. Hughes blew the whistle and called the game while going over to check on Kurt, whose face was beet red and had imprints of the thatching from the ball.

"Do you need to go to the nurse, kid?" Mr. Hughes asked Kurt, not really caring since it didn't look like there was any blood.

"Can I just go change and sit out for the rest of the class?" Kurt asked through gritted teeth.

"Yeah," the teacher answered. "Go ahead."

Kurt hated being sweaty, so he always showered after gym since it was in the morning. He was actually happy that he got to get in the showers before the rest of the boys; they always made him feel really uncomfortable. They'd ask him questions about his mark since none of them had theirs yet, and they'd make fun of him because he didn't know whose it was. Even though he left class early, he didn't take long, knowing that there wasn't too much time left in the class, and he wanted to be dressed and out of there before it filled up with the other boys.

He got out of the shower and headed to his locker only to find it cracked open and his clothes missing. Hot tears stung his eyes. _Brent or one of the other guys must have gotten into trouble, and this is their payback. Damnit!_ Kurt sat down on the bench, trying to calm himself down. When he had stopped crying and had resolved that he was going to have to put his sweaty, dirty gym clothes back on, he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

"What do you want?" Kurt spat at the person standing at the end of the locker row.

"Brent was bragging about taking your clothes, and it's not right," Finn said while looking down at the floor.

"Why do you care?" Kurt asked. "You've never given a damn about me before. Why start now?"

"Because," Finn shouted, finally making eye contact with Kurt, "those guys are asses, and you've never, ever done anything to hurt anyone else. Anyway," Finn continued to talk as he walked to Brent's locker, "I wanted to make up for not stopping things before they escalated. Not just today, but all of the other times before. If you'd let me, I'd like to try to be your friend."

Kurt was looking at him like he'd grown two heads. "You want to _help_ me?"

Finn smiled his crooked smile and said, "Yeah, I do. What do you say?"

"I say," Kurt grinned, "give me my clothes, and you've got yourself a deal."

Finn laughed and handed Kurt's clothes over, catching sight of Kurt's mark. "Listen, no matter who your soulmate is, they're lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Finn," Kurt said and finished getting dressed.

During their next get-together the following day, Blaine walked up to the house and heard singing from inside. It was a surprisingly warm day, so the Hummels had some of their windows open a little, trying to air the house out from being so closed up in the winter.

" _Look at me  
I will never pass for a perfect bride  
Or a perfect daughter  
Can it be I'm not meant to play this part  
Now I see  
That if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family's heart_

_Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight, back at me  
Why is my reflection someone I don't know  
Somehow I cannot hide  
Who I am  
Though I've tried  
When will my reflection show who I am inside  
When will my reflection show who I am inside_"

_Oh, Kurt, what happened? You are so perfect in so many ways,_ Blaine thought before he knocked on the door. He knew that music meant different things for different people, and with Kurt, he had learned over the years how to read between the lines. Blaine could tell what mood Kurt was in by what movie they watched or what songs they sang. He could tell, without needing any details, what kind of week or weeks Kurt had had at school by these simple things.

Kurt told Blaine about that awful day in gym and how it ended with him getting a new friend. He remembered Finn and hoped that he would keep his word to befriend and help Kurt. Blaine was livid about the situation his best friend had been put in. He was absolutely enraged that these brutes had hurt his best friend. Each time Blaine heard one of these stories, he felt more and more certain about which person belonged to the initial on his collarbone. He knew that he would do almost anything to make sure his friend was happy and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Reflection" from Mulan.


	9. Little Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: violence, non-con, severe bullying

"Do you ever feel like Belle?" Kurt asked Brittany as they were walking to their last class of the day. They were both finishing up their first week of high school at McKinley High, and Kurt was already ready for graduation. So far, he'd been slushied twice and knocked into lockers during almost every passing period. Not to mention Kurt had been called every derogatory name he could think of by most of the hockey team and some of the football team.

The only time the football jocks left him alone was when Blaine was walking with him, and that only happened between his first and second hours and right after lunch. They knew that if they had any shot in hell at winning anything this year, they'd need their star running back. The jocks knew about Kurt and Blaine's friendship, and they didn't want to chance pissing him off too much. So, they stuck to the slushies and locker checks when, normally, they'd be throwing Kurt in the dumpsters, too. The hockey jocks, though, had no such qualms about the football teams' wins. They saw an easy target and struck whenever they could.

"What do you mean, Kurtie?" Brittany asked him. That damn nickname had stuck since preschool, and Kurt didn't have the heart to ask her to change it.

"Yeah, _Kurtie_." A sneer and then a shove came from behind.

"I mean..." Kurt said as he took a breath and then straightened up, glaring at the jock heading the other way toward the locker room. They continued to walk toward their lockers. "Don't you ever feel like you're living the same day over and over again, and nothing ever changes?"

Brittany could see the resignation in his eyes. "Have they been doing that to you a lot?" She honestly didn't know since this was the first bullying she had witnessed.

"They're just idiots who are trying to let everyone else know where they stand," Kurt said, eyes downcast. He had worked so hard to keep things like this from getting to him all of his life. It seemed like he couldn't catch a break, no matter what school he was at.

"I don't like seeing you sad," Brittany said once they reached their lockers.

"Why are you sad?" Blaine asked. His locker was right next to Kurt's, and he had to put his things away before practice started in 30 minutes.

"He got—" Brittany started but was cut off by Kurt.

"No reason," Kurt said, feeling more grounded than he had since right after lunch. "You'd better get to practice before Coach Beiste makes you run extra laps."

Blaine didn't quite believe him, but he didn't have time right now to figure out what was really happening. He had to get to practice before Coach had his ass. Football, surprisingly, came easily to Blaine. He was small and quick which lent itself perfectly to a running back. According to his teammates, his coaches, and his dad, he was going to be McKinley's secret weapon.

"I'll call you after practice, Kurt," Blaine said and kissed his cheek on impulse before running toward the locker room.

Kurt was in shock at that. They'd never gotten anywhere near physically intimate before, not even holding hands. Sure, they would hug every once in a while and they might sit right next to each other, thighs touching, when they'd watch a movie. And, fuck, if those weren't the best moments ever. Kurt's heart would race, and it would feel full at the same time. It was an odd combination, but it was the best feeling ever.

"He's yours, and Tana's mine," Brittany said offhandedly. "Tana gives me flutters in my tummy and makes me feel like I'm not floating all of the time. You don't. That's gotta mean something, doesn't it?"

Kurt had never once talked to anyone about the feelings he experienced when he was around Blaine. But he knew exactly what his friend was saying, because he felt it, too. "I think you just might be right," Kurt responded and made his way out of the school to walk home with his friend. They lived close enough to each other that this was their routine, at least when it wasn't raining or too cold. When the weather was bad one of their parents would pick them up.

"Can you make me a promise?" Brittany asked him before they parted ways to head toward their respective homes.

"I can try," Kurt answered, unsure what his friend could be wanting.

"If it gets too bad, the bullying I mean, will you tell someone, please?" Brittany asked him with her bright blue eyes shining sincerely. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you, and I know you're strong and kinda stubborn and don't want to bother anyone. But, I also know that all of us have a breaking point, and I just don't want you to get to yours. So, promise me?"

Kurt took a deep breath. His friend, one of his best friends, could see right through him. He thought he had always done a good job of hiding these things, yet here Brittany was, reading him like he was an open book. "I promise," he said and meant it. Now, he just had to figure out how far was too far.

The rest of freshman year went on in the same manner. Kurt continued to endure weekly slushies and daily locker checks and insults, and Blaine went on to be the MVP of the football team that year. Kurt never let on how much he was being harassed to anyone. Brittany would ask him every once in a while how things were, but he always told her that they were the same and that he was okay.

Sophomore year was when everything changed. Brittany and Santana had joined the cheerleading squad along with Jeff. Nick had joined the football team along with Blaine and Finn. Kurt was alone as he didn't want to join either of those teams. He wanted to do something, but in his mind, the only thing he was good at was singing. And, there weren't any singing clubs.

Kurt was heading outside to walk home by himself after the first month of classes when Rachel stopped him. "Have you heard there's a new club starting up?"

"What club would that be, Rachel?" Kurt asked, knowing that she wouldn't stop talking to him until he heard her out.

"The New Directions," Rachel answered like it should be obvious what that meant. When Kurt continued to look at her like he had no idea what she was talking about-because he didn't-she elaborated. "It's McKinley's new Glee Club, if they can get enough members that is. I remember that you always liked to sing when we were kids and thought I'd ask if you wanted to sign up."

"I'll think about it, Rachel," Kurt said and continued to walk out of the school. He was glad that his mom was picking him up today. There was a new neanderthal that had apparently gotten the message that Kurt was _the_ kid to pick on to make yourself feel bigger and stronger. Well, he wasn't necessarily new to Kurt but new to the school this year. Last year, he had been at the other high school in town and was hoping to make a career out of playing football. When McKinley's team had done so well the previous year, his family had decided to have him transfer here this year. That morning, when Kurt was walking to one of his classes by himself, Karofsky had knocked him into a locker so hard he had a dark bruise starting to form on his shoulder blade.

"How was your day, sweetie?" Elizabeth asked her son.

"Fine," Kurt said, trying to be as upbeat as he could.

Elizabeth could tell her son was lying to her. She had been noticing him hiding more and more over the past few years, and she knew that he didn't want to bother her or Burt with what he was going through. She also knew that it wouldn't do any good to push Kurt to tell them what was going on. This would only cause him to shut down, and that was something she didn't want. So, she and Burt had agreed to keep an eye on him and step in when and if they needed to.

"What would you think about me joining a club that would meet after school a few times a week?" Kurt asked.

"I think that'd be great, honey," she said. "What one are you thinking about?"

"There's a new one starting that Rachel Berry told me about," he explained. "It's a Glee Club that the Spanish teacher is trying to get people interested in. I thought it might be fun since all of my other friends have after school activities already."

"You know your dad and I would be at every performance you had," Elizabeth told him. "We love your voice and miss hearing it so much."

"Thanks, Mom," Kurt said and started running through ideas for songs in his head.

The following day after classes had let out, Kurt signed his name up for the Glee Club, right under Rachel's. He was happy to see that a few of his other friends had also signed up, and, though he wasn't quite sure how some of them would swing it with their other after school activities, he was hopeful that it would all work out. He saw that auditions would be held on Thursday after school. As he turned to walk away from the sign-up sheet, he ran right into Karofsky, who knocked the books he was carrying to the ground and pushed him into the wall.

"Watch where you're going, _fairy princess_ ," he sneered and walked toward the locker room to get ready for practice.

Kurt closed his eyes and tried to steady his breath. He was so lost in his head that he didn't hear Blaine approach him. "Kurt, sweetheart, are you alright?"

Both of them were so caught up in what had just happened that neither realized what Blaine had said. It wasn't until Blaine touched Kurt's shoulder that Kurt realized he was there. The touch startled him, and he cowered away from it, not once opening his eyes.

_What in the fuck has happened to you that this is how you're reacting to me?_ Blaine thought.

"Kurt," Blaine said with a little more volume, hoping to snap Kurt out of whatever fog he was in. "It's Blaine. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Blaine?" Kurt whispered and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw the concern in his friend's eyes, he started to cry. He had so much pent up hurt that it finally spilled over.

"I've got you," Blaine said and rushed to hug him. He knew he'd be late for practice but right now it was the furthest thing from his mind, and he knew Coach would understand. He waited until Kurt had calmed down before he said anything else and took a guess at what he thought might be wrong. "How long has it been this bad?"

Kurt just laughed darkly. "It's been progressively getting worse since kindergarten, honestly. But ever since Karofsky came here, it's been about this bad every day. He locker checks me whenever he sees me, and I'm almost always by myself since none of my friends are in any of my classes. And, at least three times a week, I get a slushie facial. I was lucky today and just got the locker checks and that wall slam."

Blaine was pissed. Kurt was feeling lucky because that's all that had happened. "That's bullshit, Kurt. You need to tell your parents. They can help."

"I will," Kurt said honestly. "I'm starting to feel scared just to come here. I will tell them this weekend, alright? I just need to get through this week and Glee tryouts. Then, I will tell them. You can even be there when I do if you'd like." _Please say you'll be there. I'm going to need you to do this._

"You couldn't keep me away if you tried," Blaine said. "Glee Club, huh?" he asked then signed his name right under Kurt's. "Is one of your parents picking you up today?"

"Not today," Kurt said, remembering that he'd have to walk home.

"I'll walk you home and then ask my mom to come and get me," Blaine said with a no-nonsense tone.

"You have practice," Kurt reminded him.

"We'll run by the field, and I'll tell Coach that I can't make it today," he said. "I won't tell her what happened until after we talk to your parents, but I've never done anything like this; she's pretty perceptive and understands when someone really needs to do something and when they're skipping for dishonorable reasons."

"I really don't want to be an inconvenience, Blaine," Kurt said, gently bending down to gather his books that were still scattered on the floor. His back and shoulders were throbbing.

"You're not," Blaine said and helped Kurt pick his books up and then stand back up. "You never could be. You're my best friend, Kurt. There's not a whole lot I wouldn't do for you."

"Ditto," Kurt said, blush rising on his cheeks.

The talk with Coach Beiste went well, and the boys started their walk to Kurt's house. They talked about audition choices and anything else that came to mind. It was nice to have time to just talk and be with each other. Since starting high school, their time together had been cut due to various other priorities and activities. They were both realizing how much they'd missed it and how much better they both felt after spending this quality time together.

Blaine called his mom to come to get him after they got to Kurt's house and was in luck, because she had gotten off of work a little early and could come to get him before the Hummels got there. The boys didn't want to raise suspicion before they were ready to talk to them. Blaine also asked if his parents could be there when they talked about what was happening at school. He said that, if needed, they could help to come up with solutions from another angle since Blaine's dad was a lawyer. Kurt agreed, though Carter Anderson still made him a little nervous after all these years.

"Thanks for walking me home, Blaine," Kurt said.

"You're welcome, Kurt," Blaine said and then pecked Kurt's cheek when his mom honked from the driveway.

The next couple of days continued in a similar fashion for Kurt. Whenever he didn't have someone with him, he would get harassed. He always just shrugged it off, knowing that there was a deadline for him finally coming clean to his parents.

That Thursday was audition time for Glee. Kurt confidently took the stage when his name was called, knowing his best friends, all of them, were in the audience, also trying out.

"Hello, my name is Kurt Hummel. I am a countertenor, and I will be singing 'Little Town' from _Beauty and the Beast_."

_Very fitting, Kurt_ , Blaine thought and smiled widely.

" _Little town  
It's a quiet village  
Every day  
Like the one before  
Little town  
Full of little people  
Waking up to say_"

Kurt loved this song and felt it was fitting. He was living the same day over and over again, nobody around him changing. Always the same taunts, the same shoves, the same fucking slushies.

" _There goes the baker with his tray, like always  
The same old bread and rolls to sell  
Every morning just the same  
Since the morning that we came  
To this poor provincial town_"

_I can't wait to get out of here. I need something, anything, to change in my life. It's almost too much sometimes_ , Kurt thought as he was singing.

" _Oh, isn't this amazing?  
It's my favorite part because you'll see  
Here's where she meets Prince Charming  
But she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three!_"

_My Prince Charming is sitting out there. I know it's him. I just have to wait until I get the second letter of my mark to prove it._ Kurt looked out into the crowd and found Blaine. It was like there was a beacon on his soul that Kurt could always find, no matter where they were.

" _There must be more than this provincial life!_ "

_Fuck do I want more than what I've been living though_ , Kurt thought as he finished his song.

Applause rang out in the auditorium. He had totally killed that song, and his beacon was shining brighter than anyone else's there. Blaine looked so proud of him. Kurt bowed then took his place by his friends, receiving more congratulations from them again.

Blaine went up and sang his piece, "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, hitting every note perfectly as charisma oozed out of his pores and vocal chords. After rejoining Kurt in the seats, both boys decided that they would hear the rest of the auditions. A couple more people sang their audition pieces, and Kurt excused himself to go to the bathroom.

He went to the closest men's room, which, thankfully, was one of the lesser-used ones, so it was much cleaner than others in the building. After he was finished and washing his hands, he heard the door open, and then, someone stepped inside. His heart picked up speed, and when he looked up, what little color he had in his pale complexion drained. Karofsky was blocking his way out, and he looked deranged.

"What do you want, Karofsky?" Kurt asked, hoping that his fear wasn't seeping into his speech.

"For some fucked up reason that I can't understand," Karofsky spat, "I want you. So, here's what we're going to do. You're going to keep your princess mouth shut, and if you tell anyone what happens, I'll fucking kill you. Don't think I won't either." And, with the end of his sentence, Karofsky lunged at Kurt and kissed him right on the mouth, muffling the scream that Kurt let out.

He had been planning this, thinking about it since the first time he felt Kurt's lean body after he shoved him against a locker. He knew that Kurt liked Blaine; he could see it, and it pissed him the fuck off. When he saw that Kurt had signed up for the Glee Club, he hoped that he would have a chance to get him alone. When he saw him come out of the auditorium and head toward the bathroom, he took a calming breath and put his plan into action.

Karofsky was prepared for this very moment, knowing that if he was ever able to follow through with his plan, Kurt would likely put up a fight. He brought out some pre-cut strips of duct tape that he had stuck on his belt. He put one over Kurt's mouth and then another covering that one, careful not to cover his nose. He didn't want him to pass out; no, he wanted him fully conscious for everything that he had planned. When the screams were sufficiently muffled, Karofsky looked into Kurt's frightened eyes and then down his pale neck. He noticed Kurt's mark peeking out of the top of his shirt. This seemed to infuriate him even more, and he bit it. Hard.

"You're mine," he said. "I don't care about marks. You're going to be with me even if I have to kidnap you."

Karofsky then began sucking a large, dark hickey over Kurt's mark, effectively trying to cover it up while simultaneously grinding against him.

Kurt was crying, praying to a god he didn't believe in to please let someone find him before this went too far.

_He's been gone for way too long_ , Blaine thought. Just then, he felt a pang in his heart and heat on his mark. He jumped up, knowing that something was wrong. Blaine rushed to the nearest bathroom, not noticing Nick, Jeff, Brittany, and Santana following him. They had all been sitting next to each other during the auditions, and when they saw Blaine jump up, they got the sense that they needed to follow him.

The group arrived at the bathroom and noticed that Blaine had already pushed his way in. When they all shoved their way inside, they saw something they'd never forget. Kurt was on the floor, curled up in the fetal position, tape over his mouth and tears streaming down his face. Blaine and Karofsky were throwing punches at each other, both getting in some good blows. Jeff and Nick both grabbed Karofsky while Santana grabbed Blaine. Brittany went to Kurt, shielding him from what was happening.

Thankfully, Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester were walking down the hall and heard the commotion. Coach Sylvester called an ambulance while Coach Beiste took over holding Karofsky. When Blaine noticed the adults in the room, his rage left, and all he could think was _Kurt, Kurt, Kurt_.

Blaine scooted Brittany gently out of the way and knelt down by Kurt. "Kurt, sweetheart, I'm going to take the tape off, okay?" They both noticed the term of endearment that time.

Kurt nodded his head, and Blaine got to work taking the tape off. Brittany was holding his hand, and Santana had gotten behind him and was stroking his hair. Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester had taken Karofsky to another room, giving Nick and Jeff instructions that they were all to stay in the bathroom until the ambulance came. Kurt was zoned in on Blaine's eyes, even though they weren't looking back at him, in favor of paying attention to taking the tape off as gently as he could.

Once the final piece was off, Kurt was in Blaine's arms, sobs returning violently. "I'm so sorry," Kurt kept repeating. "It was supposed to be yours, always yours."

Blaine didn't understand what Kurt was talking about, and when he asked, Kurt just cried harder.

That night, after Kurt had been released from the hospital and Karofsky had been booked into juvenile detention, Kurt, Blaine, and both of their parents were sitting at the Hummel residence, listening to what all had been happening to Kurt since kindergarten. He didn't leave anything out.

When he got to the events of that afternoon when Karofsky had kissed him, he looked at Blaine apologetically. Blaine knew then that that was what Kurt had meant when he said it was supposed to be his.

Blaine looked back at Kurt and whispered to him while their parents were talking about a game plan, "It will be, sweetheart. That didn't count. You didn't give that to him. He took it. When you give your first kiss away, to whomever you choose to give it to, that will be the one that counts."

"I want it to be you," Kurt whispered back, tears leaking out of his eyes and down his cheeks. "I've always felt so much better when you're around. I want it to be you so much."

Blaine nodded and wasn't sure if Kurt was talking about the kiss, his mark, or, hopefully, both.

They would both find out that night in their respective rooms, but something happened that nobody could have predicted while they were sitting on that couch that evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Little Town" from Beauty and the Beast.


	10. Kiss the Girl

That night, after the Andersons had left, Kurt told his parents he was going to go shower and head to bed. He knew that the following day at school would be brutal. By then, what had happened would be all over the school, and the gossip mill at McKinley never shut down.

In the shower, he scrubbed and scrubbed at his skin, trying to rid himself of what had happened earlier that night. He got out and tried to not look in the mirror, not wanting to see the reminders of what had happened in that bathroom. However, looking in the mirror when he got out of the shower was like muscle memory, and he couldn't help himself.

Kurt gasped. He wanted to scream at what he saw. Instead, he called Blaine.

After the third ring, Blaine answered; he was out of breath like he'd run to the phone. "Are you alright? Do you need me to come back?" he panted, voice haggard and sharp. He winced. He hadn't meant to sound quite like that.

"I'm not sure on either of those questions," Kurt said, loving that Blaine's first instinct was to rush back to him.

Blaine took an audible breath and tried another question. "What were you calling about, Kurt?" he asked in a gentler tone. "I was just getting into the shower when I heard your ringtone and rushed back to my room."

"With all of the crap going on this week," Kurt began, trying to keep his mind out of the gutter and focus on the reason he was calling Blaine, "the increase in the bullying, the auditions, all of it, I completely forgot."

"Forgot what, sweetheart?" Blaine asked.

"Today's my birthday, Blaine," Kurt said with tears in his eyes.

"Oh shit! I forgot!" Blaine said, panicked. "I am so sorry. Please, how can I make it up—"

"Blaine," Kurt said loudly trying to stop Blaine's frantic apologizing. "What is significant about someone's 16th birthday?"

"Oh…" He paused as the significance of this phone call dawned on him. "Please, tell me it's not her," Blaine said brokenly. He didn't think he could bear it if Kurt wasn't meant for him.

"Ever since we were three, I've known it was you," Kurt said. "And now, my mark says what my heart has always known."

"I'm coming over. I don't care if I have to walk; I'll be there in just a little bit," Blaine said and then hung up the phone.

Kurt hurried to get dressed, knowing that Blaine meant what he said, and there would be no talking him out of it. He walked downstairs, and his parents were in the living room, quietly talking.

"I'm sorry if all of that ruined any plans you might have had this evening," Kurt said. "I just realized what today was. I've been kind of out of it, haven't I?"

Burt and Elizabeth got up and hugged their son. "We could tell that things haven't been great for you, and we just kept waiting for you to come to us. Please forgive us for not stepping in sooner?"

"You're forgiven. But only if you can forgive me for not coming to you sooner. I have a feeling that the next few days and weeks will be hard enough as it is. We don't need any misplaced guilt, okay?" Kurt said and hugged his parents back just as tightly. They had been standing there, hugging each other, for a minute or so when there was a knock on the door. "That's for me; wait here, please," he said and went to let Blaine in. He wasn't surprised to see Carter and Claire Anderson right behind him.

Kurt smiled at Blaine, grabbed him, and led him into the living room where Kurt's parents were still standing, very confused.

"Any idea what's going on?" Burt asked their returned guests.

"No clue," Carter responded. "Blaine just said he had to come back over here, even if he had to walk. We figured it was something important, so we offered to drive him. You're up, boys," he finished.

"May I?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded imperceptibly. Blaine took a steadying breath and moved the collar of Kurt's shirt on his left side, revealing his bruised [mark](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/P9wA5x). None of them had really gotten a good look at it earlier, and nobody but Blaine could see the difference.

Tears welled up in Blaine's eyes as he stopped looking at the mark and his gaze was drawn to Kurt's face. They just stood there, staring at each other for several seconds before Blaine raised his eyebrow like he was asking a question. Kurt must have understood because he nodded his head again, and the boys shared their first kiss, right there in the middle of Kurt's living room, with all of their parents watching.

Burt and Elizabeth understood immediately and turned toward the Andersons. "Today's Kurt's 16th birthday," Elizabeth explained with a shaky voice.

"So…" Carter said, tears welling up in his own eyes at witnessing this amazing event.

"Looks like it," Burt replied, shedding his own tear.

Claire had always been somewhat of a smartass and started singing, and all of the other adults joined in.

" _There you see her  
Sitting there across the way  
She don't got a lot to say  
But there's something about her  
And you don't know why  
But you're dying to try  
You wanna kiss the girl_"

By this time, Kurt and Blaine were smiling and decided to join in. Their parents were ridiculous!

" _Yes, you want her  
Look at her, you know you do  
It's possible she wants you, too  
There is one way to ask her  
It don't take a word  
Not a single word  
Go on and kiss the girl_"

The group was entranced by the bond they saw forming in front of them and finished out their song with the boys' favorite part.

" _Sing with me now  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
My, oh, my  
Look at the boy too shy  
He ain't gonna kiss the girl  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
Ain't that sad  
Ain't it shame, too bad  
You gonna miss the girl_"

"We have cake," Elizabeth said once the laughter had died down. "Would you all like to join us?"

"We'd love to," Carter answered, and the adults went into the kitchen, giving the boys a couple of moments to themselves.

"Can I see yours, too?" Kurt whispered.

"Of course," Blaine replied.

Kurt moved the collar of Blaine's shirt to reveal his curvy [initials](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/1VQ70b) in his own handwriting on Blaine's left collarbone.

"Is it too soon to tell you that I love you?" Blaine asked, so quietly Kurt wasn't sure he'd heard him right.

"No," he answered. "I think I've loved you since we were three, Blaine. And, I couldn't be happier if I tried that you're my soulmate."

"I love you, Kurt," Blaine said with so much feeling that he started tearing up. "I love you so much, and I am officially the luckiest man in the world."

They kissed again before breaking apart when Carter yelled, "Stop sucking face and get in here so we can eat cake, boys."

The boys broke apart again, giggling, and headed into the kitchen to eat cake with their parents. Today might have been full of horrible things, but they were far outshined by this single positive.

That night, after everyone had left and Kurt had laid down to sleep, everything that had happened came rushing back, and he started to hyperventilate, his heart feeling like it was going to beat out of his chest. Kurt had seen enough movies that he knew what was happening, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to calm himself down alone. With as much strength as he could muster, he hollered out, "MOM!" It wasn't a shout, but it was as close as he knew he was going to get; he just hoped that it was loud enough.

Sure enough, mere seconds later, he heard both of his parents rushing to his bedroom. Elizabeth slid onto the mattress behind Kurt and held him while Burt sat right in front of him and kept eye contact.

"Look at me, bud," Burt said steadily. "Right in my eyes. That's good. Okay. Now, I want you to match your breathing to your mom's. Feel her breathing behind you. Match yours to hers. You're safe, and we've got you. That's it. You're doing so amazing, Kurt."

This went on for a few minutes until Kurt's breath had slowed down, and his heartbeat was back to normal. Elizabeth was running her fingers through her son's hair as she continued to model breathing for him.

"Can one of you stay in here tonight?" Kurt whispered, hating how small and weak he sounded and felt.

"You bet we can," Burt said, not hesitating at all. "I'll go grab the air mattress, and we'll both stay if you'd like."

"Please," Kurt whimpered. "I thought I was okay, but I don't think I am just yet."

"Kurt," Elizabeth said after her husband left to get their temporary bed for the evening, "how would you feel about seeing someone who can help you through this better than we might be able to? Someone whose job it is to help people heal from these kinds of situations? We can be there with you, or Blaine if you'd rather. Or, if you'd like to be by yourself, that's fine, too."

"I think," Kurt said, "that I'd like to try." This was something he'd been thinking about ever since the attack happened. He had always admired people who went to therapy. They were so strong to know that they needed help with something that they couldn't quite manage on their own. And, he knew that this wasn't something that he could manage on his own.

"Alright," she replied. "There's this new kind of therapy that is supposed to work really fast, and from what I've heard from my boss, it's really effective. Her son died in a car wreck a long time ago, and she's been struggling with it; so, she decided to go see one of the therapists in town and was so happy that she did. It took a few sessions just because she's been living with it for so long, but she said that her therapist told her that if she had been able to see someone right after it happened, the brain could have healed itself faster or something like that. I didn't quite understand it all, but it's an option."

"I'd like that," Kurt said. "Even if it means I have to relive it right away, I'd rather heal as fast as possible from this and be able to move on."

"I'll call her tomorrow and get something set up," Elizabeth answered. Sometime during her talk about the therapist, Burt had come back in and was laying the bed out on the floor. He didn't want to start airing it up until they were done talking.

"You can go ahead, Dad," Kurt said, smiling at his dad for being so amazing.

The trio settled down for the night and quickly fell asleep. When Kurt woke from a nightmare, they'd repeat what they'd done earlier to help him calm down. Then, they'd all go back to sleep as best as they could.

When it was time to wake up and get their morning routines started, all three Hummels were dragging, and they knew that the day was going to be a rough one. They all quietly got ready for the day, knowing that they were meeting the Andersons at the school 10 minutes before class started to talk with Principal Figgins. Elizabeth found the phone number for Jill Daniels, the therapist her boss had talked about, and called to make an appointment for right after lunch that day. Jill agreed that getting Kurt in as quickly after the incident had happened as possible would allow for the best and most effective healing.

Both families arrived at the school at the same time. Blaine rushed over to Kurt to hold him. It didn't look like either boy had slept well the night before.

"It's going to be alright, my love," Blaine whispered as Kurt started shaking, being this close to the school. "I'm not leaving your side all day."

"I have a therapy appointment right after lunch," Kurt whispered.

"I'll come with you and sit in the waiting room, then," Blaine replied, pulling his soulmate just a little closer.

"Could you…" Kurt started but got lost for a moment in his head, thinking Blaine might think he was being ridiculous for wanting him there.

"If you want me there with you, I'll be there with you," Blaine said, understanding his soulmate's hesitation.

"How do you already know me so well?" Kurt asked softly.

"I've always known you, Kurt," Blaine replied and gave him a peck on his lips before lacing their fingers together and going into the school to face whatever might come together.

When the group arrived at the office, they noticed Coach Beiste and Coach Sylvester there, almost like they were waiting for them.

"I figured you all would show up today," Coach Sylvester said. "We're here to offer backup and support. Figgins is a pushover, but without our programs at this school, funding will drop. I will be damned if an incident like this gets swept under the rug."

Kurt and Blaine were shocked. They didn't think Coach Sylvester cared about anything besides herself. What they didn't know, though, was that she didn't tolerate bullying of any kind. Her sister had been bullied because of the way she was born, and if she could stop it from happening to someone else, she would.

"Coach," Blaine started, "thank you for being here. The game tonight, it might…"

"Don't worry about it, punkin," Coach Beiste said. "If you're feeling up to it, you'll play. If you're not, we'll manage. This is far more important than a game."

"Thank you," Blaine said, thankful that both he and Kurt had all of this support around them.

Carter was the next to speak. "Here's how I think this needs to go," he said in an authoritative tone. "You two stay out here, please, and if we need you to tell your side, we will have you come in. I just don't want to have to put Kurt through telling this any more than he has to."

"Thank you, Carter," Kurt said, misty-eyed, and went to hug his someday father-in-law.

"You're welcome, Kurt," Carter said, hugging the boy in front of him back.

"Can I help you all?" Principal Figgins asked, poking his head out of his office.

"Yep," Coach Sylvester stated. "We're gonna have a chat. All of us. Let's go."

After they all went into the office, Kurt and Blaine sat down and laced their fingers back together. The boys sat quietly and listened to the raised voices coming from within the office, not quite making out everything that was being said but hearing words like "slushie" and "slam" coming from Burt. Carter bellowed words like "lawsuit" and "fired" before silence came. Apparently, that had gotten the principal's attention.

As it turned out, the two families got everything they asked for. The slushie machine was to be removed from the campus immediately, and any student caught with the beverage on campus would get immediate detention. Any bullying, verbal or physical, would result in an automatic three-day suspension and a week-long suspension from all groups or sports. And, any repeated offense would be grounds for expulsion.

Before she walked out of the office, Coach Sylvester knelt down in front of Kurt and said to him, "You're going to be safe here from now on. I promise it." He had never seen her be more sincere and determined.

"Thanks, Coach," he said.

"Have you ever thought about joining my Cheerios?" she asked. "You'd make a great addition to our squad. Think about it." She stood up, winked at him, and then made her way down the hall.

"That boy won't be coming back here, either," Carter told them.

Kurt and Blaine released a breath they hadn't realized they were holding and smiled at each other before looking back to their parents. "Thank you all for everything," Kurt said. "It means…so much to me that you're all supporting me, us, like this."

"We love you, kiddo," Burt said like it was nothing. But to Kurt, it was everything.

"You're both excused from classes for the rest of the day, too," Coach Beiste said. "Blaine, let me know when you can about the game, ok?"

"He'll be there," Kurt piped up.

"Kurt, what about—"

"Blaine," Kurt said, knowing his soulmate was going to ask about the therapy appointment. "That will only take an hour, two hours tops. You love football, and I, for one, want to come to watch you score lots of baskets."

The occupants of the room chuckled under their breath at this.

"I'm kidding," Kurt said fondly. "I know it's home runs!"

At this, the occupants were rolling with laughter.

Therapy that afternoon was interesting and intense. That's all Kurt could describe it as. He opted to have Blaine stay in the waiting room while he went in. His mom had booked a double session, knowing that Kurt would likely want to do it all at once. So, after the introductory things, Jill helped him process through the incident. It was fast, it was intense, but boy was it effective.

Jill had described the process to him but told him that he would understand it when he felt it. And, man, did he feel it. Almost too much at times, but he trusted her, trusted that she wouldn't let him fall too far, trusted that she would make sure he got out the other side safely. An hour later, he had processed through all of the bullying he had been through and had a good 15-20 minutes to decompress and calm down.

"That was weird," was the first thing Kurt said after the processing was complete.

"You'd be surprised at how often I hear that," Jill said. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel free," Kurt said with renewed tears in his eyes. This time, though, they were tears of relief. "I feel like I could have a new normal, and that's strange for me. I've felt afraid and defeated for so long, I'm not sure how to be like this, how to be optimistic and hopeful."

"It will get easier," Jill said, "adjusting to the new 'normal' as you put it. Eventually, though, it won't be so new, and you won't notice these new feelings as being weird. They will just be. Do you feel like you want to do a follow-up appointment next week, just to check-in and make sure we didn't miss anything?"

"I think that might be a good idea," Kurt said. "I feel amazing right now, and I'd like to have one, as you said, just to check-in and make sure I'm still feeling well."

"We can do that," Jill said and made an appointment for the following week.

Kurt came back a few times during the remainder of his high school years for check-ins, but his symptoms from the trauma were essentially healed to where he could live a happy and functional life.

Kurt and Blaine took their relationship slow. They took the time to really learn and know everything about each other. Throughout the rest of their high school careers, they won championships together in Glee, Kurt cheered on Blaine when he scored the winning goal at the state competition, and they danced together at both of their proms.

When they were deciding on colleges, Boston was calling to them for some reason. Kurt wanted to write, and after seeing the impact Jill had had on Kurt, Blaine wanted to do what she did and become a counselor. Both of their families were 100 percent behind them. When they walked across the stage at graduation, their families were by far the loudest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid.


	11. Almost There

The summer after they graduated from high school, Kurt and Blaine spent time with their friends. They were all scattering to various places all over the country, and they knew that as good as their intentions were to stay in touch, they'd drift apart. The boys were glad that their two best gals were going to be moving to Boston with them.

Kurt got his acceptance letter to Brandeis University right around spring break. He had applied early and knew that it was one of the best colleges in Boston for creative writing. Since he was a child, he'd loved to make stories up, and this would be a way for him to hone his skills and hopefully make a career out of writing. After deciding on Boston, Blaine had applied to Boston University and was accepted into their social work program. He knew that with this degree, he could provide therapy, but also, if he ever decided to take a break from it, he could do other things and not have to go back to school. This degree would be able to serve many needs should he choose to change careers at some point.

Brittany had gotten into Boston University and wanted to study to be an early childhood educator. She had always loved kids and had told Kurt on several occasions how much Mrs. Jones had impacted her younger years.

Santana surprised them all with her career path. Though, when Kurt thought about it, it shouldn't have been too surprising. She got into Harvard Law. Kurt had been her inspiration. Things went in his favor when Karofsky attacked him. She knew, however, that other kids aren't as lucky and didn't have people like Carter Anderson on their side. She wanted to help people who found themselves in shitty situations to not get lost in the system.

Since they were all going to be living together, their parents talked and agreed that if the kids wanted, they would rent them a house. Of course, all four of the kids were ecstatic. They loved each other and were glad they'd get to stay together a little longer. After their parents had given them a budget, the kids found a [house](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/XZLM4K) that backed up to a golf course. It would be quiet so they could all concentrate on their studies, and it was big enough that they could have a guest room for when one of their families came to stay with them. The house had a total of three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The [kitchen](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/GiWW3P) had been recently updated with white cabinets and black countertops, complete with stainless steel appliances. One of the things they liked best was that it had a washer and dryer that came with it.

The girls had agreed to let Kurt and Blaine have the [master suite](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/H2x949) as long as every once in a while, they could utilize the jacuzzi tub. Both boys agreed to this, and they spent what time they weren't hanging out with friends packing and trying to figure out what to take to Boston with them.

All four had done phone interviews for employment as well. None of them wanted their parents paying for everything, and they were adamant about helping out financially. Their parents would pay rent and utilities, and the kids would have to pay for everything else.

Santana found a job in the county court system. She was only getting coffee and running errands, but it would give her a chance to see how things worked. Blaine got a job as an attendant care worker with the community mental health center. Basically, he would be helping kids stay on task while in school and just hanging out with them over their breaks, making sure they didn't get into trouble and were making positive choices. He figured he'd need some sort of experience, and this might be a good place to start. Brittany got a job at a preschool as an aide. She would be helping the teachers out with their day-to-day lessons, and she couldn't be more excited. Kurt found a job with a tailor in town. Had he not gotten into school for writing, he would have gone into fashion. Doing this type of work let him exercise his creative muscles, and it gave him the opportunity to plot out stories in his spare time.

Two weeks before school started, it was time to finally move to Boston. They decided to take Kurt's Navigator and Brittany's 4-Runner. Both vehicles were packed tightly, as was the rental truck they had gotten to transport all of their larger belongings. Brittany and Santana's families couldn't go with them for the move due to obligations at home. Their goodbye was tearful, and they had all promised to see each other at Thanksgiving at the latest. Burt and Carter said they would drive the rental truck, and Claire and Elizabeth rode with the boys half of the way there and the girls the other half. They had all woken up early so that they could make the 12-plus hour drive with as much daylight as possible.

After as few stops as possible, they finally pulled into the rental property at 7:00 pm, the trip taking just over 14 hours after stops. During the drive, they had discussed moving as much as they could that night into the house and setting up the air mattresses instead of trying to get the bedrooms set up. With the eight of them, they were able to get everything moved in, though nothing was really where it was supposed to go. That would be the following day's task. The parents were staying for two full days before flying back to Ohio. Blaine, Santana, Elizabeth, and Carter all went to the supermarket to get food and anything else they would need while Kurt, Brittany, Burt, and Claire unpacked and began getting the house functional.

By the time it was time for the Hummel and Anderson parents to go home, everyone was tired and sore. They had gotten everything put away and had made more trips to the store than they could count. Brittany and Santana hugged the adults goodbye before Kurt and Blaine drove them to the airport. The girls decided to test out the jacuzzi tub, you know, to make sure it worked properly, not at all upset to hang back and let the boys have a private goodbye with their parents.

The goodbye at the airport was a tearful one for all six of them. Both sets of parents were saying goodbye to their baby boys, and both boys were unsure how they would live without their parents' constant presence in their lives.

"Promise me you'll call if you need anything," Carter said to his son. "I don't care if you want to complain about a teacher and everyone else is in class. If you need to talk to someone, call, okay?"

"I promise, Dad," Blaine said and hugged his dad tightly. Their relationship had never been stronger than it was right now, and Blaine was so thankful that his parents supported him.

"I love you, Kurt," Elizabeth said as she kissed her son on his cheek. "Please don't forget to call every once in a while."

"I won't, Mom," Kurt whispered, fearing if he spoke any louder he'd burst into sobs.

"Remember that we're only a flight away," Burt said to both boys. "If any of you, the girls included, need anything, call."

Kurt and Blaine nodded their heads, indicating that they would. Just then, the flight was called overhead, and their parents needed to leave.

"Let us know when you guys land," Blaine said, clutching Kurt's hand like he needed something to keep him there.

"Love you both," Claire said, and the other parents all echoed her sentiment.

"We love you all, too," the boys said at the same time.

Kurt and Blaine stood there until they couldn't see their parents anymore then walked back to the Navigator. Neither one spoke until they were sitting in the vehicle. "Well, that sucked," Blaine said, hoping to lighten the mood some. It worked, and Kurt let out a small, breathy laugh before he broke down crying.

"I'm so-so glad I h-have you," Kurt brokenly said.

"I've got you, baby," Blaine said, kissing Kurt's temple. "Just breathe." Blaine encouraged Kurt to match his breathing, just like he had done every time Kurt had gotten this worked up. It didn't happen often, but around the anniversary of the attack, he became jumpier and was much more susceptible to breaking down. They both knew it could have been so much worse had Kurt not gotten the help from Jill that he did when he got it. Trauma like that wasn't something that you ever completely healed from, but Kurt was doing amazingly. "When we get home, would you like to take a bath?"

"Please," Kurt replied.

"Okay, baby," Blaine said, placing another kiss on Kurt's temple. "Let me text the girls and let them know we're on our way home. I don't need to be walking in on them just yet. We might need to set up some ground rules at some point."

"Good call," Kurt replied, no longer sobbing. "Can you drive, please?"

"Of course," Blaine answered, and they switched places.

The boys went home and had that bath. They had a house rules meeting later that night over pizza and also set up a chore rotation so that one person wasn't always doing all of the housework.

Their school schedules were pretty compatible, which worked out well for commuting purposes with only two vehicles. Kurt would be driving himself, since his school wasn't near the other two, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He didn't have classes on Tuesday and Thursday and would be working those two days along with every other Saturday for four hours at the tailor shop.

Blaine, Santana and Brittany would all ride together in Brittany's vehicle on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to their campuses. Santana would drop the other two off at BU and then drive a little bit further to Harvard. The three of them also worked at their respective jobs on Tuesday and Thursdays and did the majority of the housework on Saturdays when Kurt was at his job. Since Kurt was the best cook, that was his main responsibility for the collective. None of the others complained about seemingly doing a little extra if he continued to fix them amazing meals every evening.

The next four years flew by way faster than any of them thought it would. They went home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the long Easter weekend each year to visit their families and any friends that were back. During their annual Easter visit their senior year, Blaine asked Burt if they could talk while Kurt and Elizabeth were out getting last-minute groceries for their meal the following day.

Burt had been expecting this talk much sooner if he was guessing right at what Blaine wanted to talk to him about. He knew it would be coming, and he almost wanted to make it easy on his soon-to-be son-in-law. Almost.

"Burt," Blaine confidently said. The man didn't intimidate him like he once had. He was like a second father to him now, and he knew that Burt would say yes to what he was going to ask him. Kurt, and Burt for that matter, deserved this, though. They deserved the respect of asking. "I love your son more than I ever thought possible. Ever since that first day of daycare, it's felt like he's been a part of me. I guess that has something to do with the whole soulmate bond; we were made for each other, like two pieces of the same puzzle that complete a whole picture. If you say yes and give your blessing, I'd like to ask Kurt to marry me after we graduate."

"Yes," Burt said, smiling so wide it was hurting his cheeks. "I've always known that it was you, ever since you two were three-years-old. You don't need my permission, though I thank you for asking. Have you got it planned out yet?"

"First, thank you," Blaine said. "I honestly wasn't worried you'd say no. I did want to ask out of respect for you and Elizabeth, though. Second, I've been toying with some ideas, though nothing is set in stone just yet."

"Well, let me know if you need us to do anything since we'll be there that weekend. It's sort of amazing that all of you are graduating the same weekend and not at the same times. Fate must really be on our side."

"I will...let you know, that is," Blaine replied. "I thought the same thing about the graduations. Kurt's already got that deal lined out for a series he's been planning out, and the rest of us are off to grad school… Actually, come to think about it, I just had an idea." Burt was all too happy to help Blaine with what he needed.

The morning of Brittany and Blaine's graduation, the house was in chaos. They were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and Kurt knew one sure way to settle them all down.

" _I don't have time for dancin'  
That's just gonna have to wait a while  
Ain't got time for messin' around  
And it's not my style_

_This whole town can slow you down  
People takin' the easy way  
But I know exactly where I am going  
Gettin closer 'n closer every day_"

By the time Kurt got to the chorus, the whole house had slowed down, and they sang together at the top of their lungs.

" _And I am almost there  
I'm almost there  
People down here think I'm crazy  
But I don't care_

_Trials and tribulations  
I've had my share  
There ain't nothin' gonna stop me now  
'Cause I'ma almost there_"

They finished singing the song together and managed to get ready in a calmer manner. When they were ready, they all piled into Kurt's vehicle and drove to BU's campus. They were meeting the parents and siblings there, and they were all going out to [La Famiglia Giorgio's Ristorante](https://www.lafamigliagiorgios.com/private-parties.html) to celebrate. Blaine had taken care of the reservations and let the manager in on his other plan.

The commencement ceremony was long. It was hot, and by the end, everyone was sweating. They were more than ready to get to the restaurant and into the air conditioning. Blaine was a nervous wreck, and if anyone noticed, they played it off as an adrenaline high from the graduation ceremony. Earlier in the week, he had dropped off the special item he knew he'd need in order to pull off his plan.

Once they were all seated and had put in their drink orders, Blaine clinked his water glass to get everyone's attention. They were seated in one of the private party rooms which was what Blaine had wanted. He wanted this to be a special occasion for their family, not everyone else.

"Thank you all for coming to Boston this weekend to support all of us during this momentous event in our lives," Blaine started. "I can't think of a single person alive who has a better family than we do. I consider us all family, not four separate ones. Before we all eat, I'd like to give Kurt an early graduation gift." He nodded to the server, who brought the package Blaine had left earlier in the week to him.

Blaine handed it to Kurt, who looked completely confused. They had agreed not to get each other gifts so that they could afford to go on a trip to Disney for a week as a reward to themselves for their stellar grades and four hard years of dedication to their studies. Blaine nodded to Kurt to open it, which he did. Inside, he found the storybook his mother had read to him as a child. Kurt gave Blaine another confused look.

"May I?" Blaine asked. Kurt handed him the book. Blaine opened it and began to read.

" _Once upon a time, there were two people who liked each other very much, and they held hands. When they let go of each other, they saw a letter on their hand, right where the other touched them. The letter was called a mark, and that mark was the first letter of the other person's name, written in their own, unique handwriting. The two people didn't understand at the time, but later, they would find out that they were part of the chosen ones. When they got older, another letter appeared and that was the first letter of their chosen's last name. The chosen ones were people that found the one special person they were meant to spend the rest of their lives with. They were two parts of the same whole and were called soulmates. After that, people all over the world started having similar marks show up on their bodies from being touched by their soulmates. It was said that those lucky individuals would experience a love so deep and meaningful that others would be jealous of them until they met their soulmates. The marks are sacred and special._ "

Blaine closed the book and got down on one knee beside his soulmate. "We met when we were three-years-old. You walked into the daycare center, and I remember feeling something, a fluttering in my chest that I didn't have the words or knowledge to explain. I wanted, so badly, to take your hand and never let go of it. But, like this story, I knew that touching someone was sacred, and I'm not sure that my soul could have handled you not bearing my mark if we did touch and nothing appeared," Blaine said, steadying his breath and wiping the tears that escaped from Kurt's eyes away.

"That same day, on the playground before we went home, I think that our souls knew something that our bodies and minds didn't know yet. It knew that our hands were meant to hold each other, fearlessly and forever. It knew that we were meant to be together always. And, it knew that it was meant to happen then so that when the trials of our lives were to come, we'd have an anchor to help hold us together." Blaine took another steadying breath. He was determined to get through his planned speech before losing it.

"Fate knew what it was doing when it put us together, which is why it's never really felt like I've been getting to know you. Every step of the way, it's always felt like I was remembering you from something. As if, in every lifetime you and I have ever lived, we've chosen to come back and find each other and fall in love all over again, over and over for all eternity. And, I just feel so lucky that I found you so soon in this lifetime, because all I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do, is spend my life loving you." By this time in his speech, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Blaine and Kurt both had tears streaming down their faces.

"So, Kurt Hummel, my amazing friend, my one true love, will you marry me?" Blaine popped the box he was holding open, and inside lay a beautiful, [white gold, infinity ring with two diamonds](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/NN83H6) inlaid in it.

Kurt was nodding and finally was able to breathlessly answer, "Yeah. Yes."

Blaine slid the ring on Kurt's finger and then surged up to kiss him.

"I love you so fucking much," Kurt said after their kiss ended. Their family was cheering around them then coming to congratulate both boys with hugs.

The rest of the evening and weekend went smoothly. They enjoyed Kurt and Santana's graduations the following day and spent so much time celebrating that night that they all had hangovers the following day. It was perfect!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog.


	12. A Whole New World

Once they were engaged, things seemed to move rather smoothly for the boys. Blaine started graduate school. He was thankful that he only had to do one year since he had received his Bachelor's degree in social work as well. While he was there, he learned about various techniques that he could use in therapy and got a sense of what population he would like to work with once he was able to start working with his own clients.

Kurt had outlined an idea for a book series during his time in school and presented it to a publishing company shortly after he graduated. They instantly snatched it up and, right around the time Blaine was graduating with his Master's degree, Kurt was publishing his first young adult novel. It was a story about a set of twins that magically fell into a fairytale book their grandmother had given them.

Through all of the chaos of Blaine going through and completing graduate school and Kurt finalizing his first novel, somehow, the boys found time to plan their wedding. They both agreed that they wanted to get married in Ohio, and they wanted the ceremony to be small, with only those closest to them attending. When they were searching, they found [Kingwood Center Gardens](http://kingwoodcenter.org/ceremony-new) and instantly fell in love with the charm and beauty of the place. Kurt had never really pictured himself getting married outdoors, but when he saw this place, he knew that it was the place he and Blaine would pledge their lives to each other.

"Do you want me to help with anything?" Blaine asked Kurt one Saturday. Neither of them had any obligations other than to work on wedding details, a rarity for them both to find themselves completely free at the same time.

"I'm having a hard time deciding on invitations," Kurt replied.

"Let me see what I can find," Blaine offered and pulled up a new tab on his laptop. After only a few minutes of looking, he found the perfect ones and showed them to Kurt.

"Thank goodness for Etsy," Kurt said. "Those are perfect!"

Blaine had found custom [Disney invitations](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/Xhy200) where you could pick which characters you wanted to be printed on the front. They were, of course, advertised with male and female counterparts, but it looked like you could pick any two you wanted. Blaine chose Prince Eric, and Kurt chose Prince Phillip. From there, the details of the wedding seemed to flow easily, centering around everything Disney. Each [reception](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/047w2k) [table](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/eXv2r5), of which there wouldn't be too many, would each be themed with a different Disney movie, including props.

They wanted their wedding to be simple yet unique, just like them. It had always bothered them when people went so far overboard with their weddings, like they were trying to sell how happy they were by displaying how much they'd spent. That just wasn't Kurt and Blaine. Their love would be the focus, not the decorations or the fanfare around them.

Next, they needed to pick their wedding party. Both boys knew that Brittany and Santana would stand up with them. The two girls had been a steady, welcome presence for as long as they'd been in each other's lives. The other two in their party would be Jeff and Nick. While they were growing up, those two had been a support to each boy when they felt like they had nobody else. All four were honored to be asked and accepted right away.

The next several months were a whirlwind of planning, school, and writing. Blaine was loving his classes and internship experience, and Kurt was in the editing phase of his story when they got the final details settled.

"This is going to be so unique," Blaine commented.

"Just like us," Kurt replied.

Blaine graduated with honors in May and had already taken his licensing exam. So, he was ready to jump right into the workforce when he had his permanent license. Kurt's book was finished, and there was a book tour set for the first week of October. The boys were glad that they had planned for the wedding to be in August. They knew that that time of year wouldn't be too stiflingly hot, but that it wouldn't be too cold either. And, since they had decided to get married outdoors, they wanted to make sure they'd be comfortable.

The boys continued to rent the house they had lived in for the past five years for one more year, and after that, they'd decided to look into buying something. They both loved Boston and wanted to put down roots there and eventually start a family.

A couple of weeks after graduation, Blaine was offered a job as a therapist at the South Boston Community Mental Health Center. He was excited to get started helping people, even though he knew he still had a lot to learn. Blaine had also signed up for classes to get his play therapy certification. During his internship, he realized that working with kids was where his passion was, and this was what had been recommended to him if this was the route he was choosing to pursue.

The book tour was shaping up to be quite extensive for Kurt as well. He would do stops in seven cities across the United States, starting in Boston and ending in Los Angeles. Kurt had loved the entire writing and publishing process and had found the most amazing publicist and artist. He was excited to see the public's reaction to his story and hoped that it was well-received. He had so many more ideas he wanted to share with the world and had already started working on the sequel.

But first, the boys needed to get married. When Blaine was hired, they were aware that he would be taking two weeks off for his wedding and honeymoon. His only obligation was to make sure that his clients had the number of other providers within the agency in case they had an emergency while he was gone.

The wedding weekend was finally upon them. Both boys had done a lot of corresponding via phone and email and teleconference, making sure that the details they wanted to be included would be. They would have a simple, catered meal of roasted chicken or baked fish, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with bacon, and rolls. Their [cake](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/G93672) was simple as well. It would follow the Disney theme they'd agreed on and would be three tiers tall. The cake topper would be the Disney castle, the middle would be a tuxedo, and the bottom layer would read, "and they lived happily ever after." They had found several other cakes that were beautiful, but they worked best for heterosexual couples.

All of the individuals in the wedding party arrived at the gardens the afternoon before the wedding for the rehearsal. Since neither boy was particularly religious, their dads had agreed to double officiate. This came about over Christmas break when they were all together for their annual gift exchange. Kurt had been commenting that this was one of the details that was still giving them troubles. Most of the people that were open to officiating wanted to meet with them several times before the wedding to make sure they were well suited to get married. Even though they were soulmates, and since these people didn't know them, they just wanted to make sure.

_Burt and Carter both spoke at the same time. "I'll do it."_

_Kurt and Blaine looked at them with wide eyes, not believing what they'd just heard._

" _Are you serious?" Blaine asked, the first one to regain his senses._

" _Absolutely!" Carter answered._

" _Are you kidding me?" Burt added. "This would be an amazing honor for both of us."_

" _What do you think, my love?" Blaine asked Kurt._

" _I think it sounds perfect," Kurt said, tears forming in his eyes._

Burt and Carter had gotten together several times since then to prepare the best possible ceremony for their very non-traditional and non-religious kids. The rehearsal went by with only a couple of laughable mess-ups. When Carter asked who gave Kurt and Blaine away to be wed to each other, Claire answered, "Her father and I do." She caught her mistake and laughed, "Nerves. Sorry. _His_ father and I do." Since their fathers were officiating, both parents would walk each boy down the aisle and then the dads would take their place in front.

The wedding party all stayed at a hotel nearby in two suites. Blaine, Santana, and Nick in one suite; Kurt, Brittany, and Jeff in another. Each set of parents had their own room, too. All of them stayed up talking, and the boys were finalizing their vows. They finally all went to sleep around 1:00, knowing that they didn't want bags under their eyes for pictures.

When they awoke the next morning, both rooms ordered room service and lounged for an hour before getting ready for the ceremony. Kurt and Blaine planned to see each other before the ceremony and take some pictures so that the lighting wouldn't be too dark after the ceremony and they could just eat, dance, and be with each other, not worrying about having to take tons of pictures while everyone waited for them.

Kurt dressed in his navy [tux](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/8363Bx), white button-down, and cream bowtie. They had opted for a cream-colored rose for their boutonniere, which would match the girls' bouquets. In his room, Blaine got dressed in his beige [tux](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/ZQ27w7), white button-down, and the same cream-colored bowtie Kurt had. Their groomsmen, who would also double as ushers, had a pale gray [tux](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/F4L3Dw), and the girls wore sterling grey Vera Wang halter [dresses](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/950t49).

When it was finally time to go to the garden and take pictures, each boy got into their own waiting limo, their parents joining them for the ride. Blaine got there first and went to stand by one of the fountains where he was instructed to wait for Kurt to come to him.

"You're breathtaking, my love," Kurt said as he approached Blaine.

Blaine turned around and took in the sight of his soon-to-be husband. "Wow," he whispered. "You're stunning!"

"Thank you," Kurt replied with a blush. "Can I kiss you? Please?"

Blaine didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward, put his hands on Kurt's cheeks, and kissed him with all of the love he could. The photographer was capturing every second. When their kiss broke, they rested their foreheads together and just breathed in sync with each other.

"I'm so ready to marry you, Blaine," Kurt whispered.

Both boys opened their eyes and parted their foreheads so they could look at each other properly.

"I am, too," Blaine said and pecked Kurt on the lips. This time, they heard the shutter close on the camera and both looked toward the photographer. That candid shot ended up being one of their favorites.

They did several posed pictures with just the two of them and then several with their wedding party and families. When it was announced that the guests were arriving, both grooms and all four girls went into the mansion on the property to stay out of sight until the music started playing to let them know that it was time to be seated. In the meantime, Jeff and Nick would be seating guests, along with Burt and Carter who decided to go help the boys out.

It was finally time for the ceremony to begin and "Tale as Old as Time" started playing. Jeff and Nick escorted the grandparents in, and Cooper escorted his wife in behind them. The music changed, then, to a familiar tune to several in attendance: "Lullaby" by Bond. After a few seconds of the music playing, Nick and Jeff walked down the aisle, arm in arm, and then parted at the end to their respective sides. Several seconds later, Brittany and Santana followed. They knew that when the music changed keys, the boys would both be led in by their parents from different sides of the aisle, and they would meet at the front. Santana announced that the guests should stand, and there was more than one person attending that had tears beginning to leak from their eyes. The music was perfect for these two, and the love that they exuded was felt by every single person in attendance.

Once they got to the front, Burt and Carter kissed their respective sons on the cheek and stood in front of the group gathered to witness their sons' marriage. The music ended, and Burt spoke first.

"We have come together today at the invitation of Kurt and Blaine to share in the joy of their wedding, the ultimate soulbond. This outward celebration we shall see and hear is an expression of the inner love and devotion they have in their hearts."

Carter continued, "Blaine Devon Anderson, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in the sacred covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live? If so, please answer, 'I will.'"

"I will," Blaine said happily.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in the sacred covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live? If so, please answer, 'I will,'" Burt recited.

"I will," Kurt replied. He was already getting teary-eyed, and he knew that by the end of the ceremony, he'd be crying the happiest of tears.

"Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage? If so, please answer, 'We will,'" Carter addressed the attendees who responded appropriately.

"Who gives these men to be married to each other?" Burt asked with a smile on his face, knowing only those who attended the rehearsal would understand his smirk.

"His father and I do," Elizabeth answered first.

" _His_ father and I do," Claire answered next, smiling widely.

The mothers kissed their sons on the cheek and then sat down in their respective seats. Blaine's friend, David, got up and read an excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit next. It was a story that always resonated with the boys, both feeling that they weren't real until they were finally sure that they were each other's soulmates.

"' _What is REAL?' asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. 'Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?'_

' _Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real.'_

' _Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit._

' _Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'_

' _Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'_

' _It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.'_ "

"You have come to be joined as husbands. Please join hands and, to each other, express the vows you have each written," Carter said to the boys.

"When I look into your eyes, I know how lucky I am to have you as a soulmate," Blaine began. "Even before we knew for sure, you were always who I pictured when I imagined this day. I can't wait to start the rest of my life with you, which will be so much better than we have ever imagined. I can't wait to start a family with you, to grow old with you, and to make a lifetime of memories with you. You are the love of my life! And, I feel so blessed to know that I will spend the rest of my life being loved, adored, and cherished by you."

Blaine was passed a handkerchief by Santana, and he dabbed Kurt's eyes first, then his own. Kurt took a steadying breath and then recited his vows. "My love for you is like a flame, but a flame dies. My love for you is like a river, but a river can go dry. Perhaps it is like a mountain, strong and stable, but the mountain is cold and unchanging. No, my love for you is none of these things alone or together. It is much, much more. I love you with everything that I am and everything that I am not. And, as my love for you permeates all things, I vow to love you in this way, even into my final breaths."

The boys were too focused on each other to hear the many sniffles from the attendees. Many of them would come up to the boys and tell them they had never heard more beautiful and true words spoken before. Mercedes came up to the front next to do her reading; well, more like _s_ _ing_ her [reading](https://youtu.be/xjE5D9cHiOk).

" _There was a time when I would have believed them  
If they told me that you could not come true  
Just love's illusion  
But then you found me  
And everything changed  
And I believe in something again_

_My whole heart  
Will be yours forever  
This is a beautiful start  
To a lifelong love letter_

_Tell the world that we finally got it all right  
I choose you  
I will become yours and you will become mine  
I choose you  
I choose you_"

Burt spoke after Mercedes took her seat again. "Though small in size, these rings are very large in significance. Made of precious metal, they remind us that love is neither cheap nor common; indeed, love may cost us dearly. Made in a circle, their design tells us that love must never come to an end; we must keep it continuous."

Carter continued, "As you wear these rings, whether together or apart for a moment, may they be constant reminders of these glad promises you are making today." He then instructed the boys to repeat after him and place the ring on each other's finger. The men opted to exchange [new rings](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/ZW9j2r) for their wedding and get their engagement rings resized to wear on their other hand. Their wedding rings were white gold with a band of black diamonds around the center. Engraved on the inside were the words, "I choose you." They were elegant and simple, but still them. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you."

Since the ceremony was outdoors and they were unsure of how windy it would be, the boys opted not to do a unity candle. Instead, they had found an [idea](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/g8y94t) that fit them perfectly and had commissioned their friend, Noah, to make it. The unity puzzle was made up of six individual pieces. Each piece had a name on it, their parents names each on a piece on the outer ring, and Kurt and Blaine having their names on their own pieces in the [middle](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/No6XP5).

"The two outside pieces have been separated to represent your lives to this moment. They are two distinct entities, each capable of standing separately on their own, both beautiful in their own right. To create a complete picture, though, there must be the merging of these two pieces into one whole," Burt recited.

"From this time onward, may your thoughts be for each other rather than for your individual selves; may your plans be mutual, your joys and sorrows shared," Carter stated and then took a step back to indicate that the couple should move forward and the singers should begin their song.

While they put the puzzle together, their bridal party sang "Come What May."

" _Never knew I could feel like this  
Like I've never seen the sky before  
Want to vanish inside your kiss  
Every day I love you more and more  
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?  
Telling me to give you everything  
Seasons may change, winter to spring  
But I love you until the end of time_"

There was a vase of single roses on the table with the puzzle on it. Each boy took one rose and walked to their mothers. They came to Blaine's mother first. Blaine gave her the rose and then hugged her, followed by a long hug from Kurt. Then, they went to Elizabeth and repeated the same routine. After their hugs with their mothers were finished, they took the last rose and both went to Mrs. Jones and hugged her. This wasn't something that anyone else knew was going to happen.

"Thank you for giving us a place to meet and feel safe," Kurt whispered.

"It was Fate that brought us together, but you helped us to know what a true bond could be like," Blaine whispered into her ear. "Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for giving us that space."

She kissed each of their cheeks and nodded at them, unable to form any words at the moment.

The boys made their way back up to the front to hug their fathers before holding hands and listening to the remainder of the song.

" _Oh, come what may, come what may  
I will love you, Oh I will love you  
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_

 _Come what may  
I will love you  
Until my dying day_"

"Now that Kurt and Blaine have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, before us and before Fate as witness, and have shown their affection and trust by the giving and receiving of rings and by joining hands, I pronounce that they are husbands. What Fate has joined together, let no man even attempt to separate," Carter said proudly.

"You may now kiss each other," Burt announced, and the boys cupped each other's cheeks, sharing their first kiss as husbands.

Before their kiss broke, the beginnings of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder began. Kurt and Blaine smiled at each other, and Carter announced, "The Anderson-Hummels, ladies and gentlemen." Applause rang from the guests, and the boys danced back down the aisle.

The rest of the night was a whirlwind of activity, laughter, and music. Kurt and Blaine enjoyed their first dance as husbands to "A Whole New World," looking lovingly into each other's eyes and [reminiscing](https://www.flickr.com/gp/189571997@N03/74mJML) about their lives thus far, so thankful that they had met each other all those years ago.

Everyone enjoyed the reception and dinner immensely and danced with the grooms as often as they could get them apart from each other. They'd hired DJ Artie "All Cool" Abrams, hearing that he was the best in the area. Kurt and Blaine left the reception around 11:00 that evening, knowing that they had an early flight to catch in the morning and not wanting to be too tired for the first day of their honeymoon. Plus, they really, REALLY wanted to make love. And make love they did…a few times over.

The newlyweds spent the next week at Disney World, staying at a condo not far from Orlando. They weighed the options of staying at a resort or a little further away and decided that, financially, it made more sense to go to more parks than to stay at the resort. The first thing they did was get "Just Married" buttons and matching Mickey groom ears. Several characters throughout the week stopped and congratulated them, making sure that they took a photograph with the grooms.

While they loved Disney, the boys were ready to get back to Boston and start their lives together, knowing that they had a whole new world of things to explore and live through with each other. As they were getting ready to fly home, Blaine started singing.

" _I can show you the world  
Shining, shimmering, splendid  
Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?_

 _I can open your eyes  
Take you wonder by wonder  
Over, sideways and under on a magic carpet ride_"

The boys were both thinking similar things about their future. A house. Kids. Vacations. Visiting new cities together. Helping countless people in different ways.

" _A whole new world  
A new fantastic point of view  
No one to tell us, "no" or where to go  
Or say we're only dreaming_

 _A whole new world  
A dazzling place I never knew  
But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear  
That now I'm in a whole new world with you_"

"Are you ready to get back to this whole new world we're entering?" Blaine asked when they'd finished the song and ended up dancing with each other in the middle of the driveway as they were loading their rental car. They heard faint applause coming from the next condo over and smiled in thanks to the family watching them.

"You bet your cute ass I am, Mr. Anderson-Hummel," Kurt answered and kissed Blaine hard on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs used are "I Choose You" by Sara Barrelias, "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge, and "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. The excerpt is from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.


	13. How Far I'll Go

" _I've been staring at the edge of the water  
'Long as I can remember, never really knowing why  
I wish I could be the perfect daughter  
But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try  
Every turn I take, every trail I track  
Every path I make, every road leads back  
To the place I know, where I can not go, where I long to be_"

Kurt started singing this as he prepared to make his debut as an author. He could feel in his soul that this book would do well and that there would be requests for more to come. Kurt rubbed his soulmark. It made him feel connected to Blaine even more when he touched his mark.

"You ready to go knock 'em dead?" his husband asked him.

"I've been ready for this moment for forever," Kurt answered.

"I love you, and I am so proud of you, Kurt," Blaine said and then kissed Kurt on the lips as they announced Kurt's name to come out.

"I love you, too," Kurt whispered and then headed out into the bookstore.

Kurt's books took off like a wildfire. Kids and adults alike loved them. Educators used them for their classrooms to help convey topics that were sometimes hard for kids to understand. Kurt's dream of being a best-selling author was about to come true, many, many times over.

" _See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me  
And no one knows, how far it goes  
If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me  
One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go_"

Blaine loved his work at the community mental health center. He loved being able to work with the most vulnerable and underserved population in Boston. Blaine also knew that he wanted more freedom in what he did with his patients and not to feel so much pressure to meet billable expectations. After he obtained his clinical license, he opened his own practice.

Santana was one of his biggest referral sources, because she also worked with the population that Blaine loved and wanted to help. Eventually, when Santana was ready, they got a building space and had both of their practices in the same place. Blaine did this work for as long as he was mentally and emotionally able to, and after he was ready to not do therapy anymore, he became a professor at his alma mater.

" _I know everybody on this island, seems so happy on this island  
Everything is by design  
I know everybody on this island has a role on this island  
So maybe I can roll with mine  
I can lead with pride, I can make us strong  
I'll be satisfied if I play along  
But the voice inside sings a different song  
What is wrong with me?_"

Elizabeth Claire came into their lives unexpectedly three years after they were married. After he had opened his own practice, Blaine had been asked to consult on a case at the community mental health center, and while he was in the waiting room, he sat beside a very pregnant teenager. She couldn't have been more than 16 and was there by herself. Blaine felt some sort of connection with her and started chatting with her. He had gotten to the center early, so he had several minutes to kill.

The teen asked Blaine about himself and his spouse after noticing Blaine's wedding ring. Blaine told her that his husband was an author and that he himself worked in his own practice across town. She asked if they had any kids, and he told her that they wanted kids but hadn't been able to decide if they were going to adopt or use a surrogate. The girl, Jennifer, told Blaine that she was giving her daughter up for adoption, knowing it would be the best thing for the child, and was struggling to find the right family.

"If you knew for sure you wanted to adopt, I'd say we should talk more," Jennifer said. "I have always been good at reading people, and you're one of the purest people I've ever met. If your husband is anything like you and the two of you wanted her, I would always know that she was in good hands."

"Are you serious right now?" Blaine asked, his heart fluttering.

"I am," Jennifer replied.

"Could we… I don't even know if this is ethical," Blaine said aloud.

"You don't see me as a patient," Jennifer said. She was very, very smart and just found herself in an unfortunate situation. "It's not a dual relationship at all. For all you know, I could be sitting here waiting for the baby's father or my sibling."

Blaine took a calming breath. "Could we exchange phone numbers and maybe meet sometime? I'd like for you to meet Kurt and see our home before we go any further with this."

Jennifer gave him her number, and they met a few days later at the Anderson-Hummel home. Santana was able to draw up the adoption papers, and a very quick five weeks later, Elizabeth Claire was born. Two years after that, Santana and Brittany offered to be a surrogate for the boys. They didn't know how they were going to pick, and the girls said that they both would house a baby if they wanted more than one more child. Kurt and Blaine surprised them when they agreed, and ten months later, Carter Burt and Samantha Kelsi were born, miraculously on the same day.

The Anderson-Hummels were finally complete, and the rest of their lives were wonderful and full of love and laughter.

" _See the light as it shines on the sea? It's blinding  
But no one knows, how deep it goes  
And it seems like it's calling out to me, so come find me  
And let me know, what's beyond that line, will I cross that line?_"

One night, when Kurt and Blaine were lying in bed, long after their kids had left home and now had kids of their own, Kurt told Blaine something he'd never shared with him. "When I was younger, I always felt like I was constantly reaching for something out of my grasp. Like, there was something that was supposed to be there, and if I could just reach a little further, I'd be able to grab hold of it. Even into our adulthood and up until now, I've felt that way." He took a deep breath; talking this much anymore winded him. Then, he continued. "It's nothing bad and doesn't mean that I didn't have the best life I could have imagined, because I did. Please don't think that, because I know that's where your mind is going right now, Blaine." Kurt smiled at his husband and kissed his lips gently.

"My mind was going there," he rasped. Blaine was tired a lot these days, and it was almost as if he could feel his life leaving him. "Please, continue."

"I feel like it's within our grasp now," Kurt said, hoping he would be able to convey what he wanted. "Like, we're about ready to leave this place, and something even bigger is waiting for us on the other side, wherever that might be."

"You know," Blaine said, getting sleepier by the moment, "I think I feel it, too."

"I love you so much, Blaine," Kurt whispered.

"I love you, too, Kurt," Blaine whispered back and then fell asleep for the last time.

The next morning, when Blaine wouldn't wake up, Kurt wasn't all that surprised. Somehow, he'd been sensing it for days. He knew that his own time to go wasn't that far off. He called his kids, and they all said that they would be on the next flight to Boston after he told them that he loved them and to travel safely.

"I'll see you on the other side, my love," Kurt said and then kissed Blaine softly on the forehead and drifted off.

* * *

Kurt entered a place that he had never seen before, but he knew that Blaine was waiting for him. He could hear his soulmate singing as he approached a room with two chairs and a man behind a podium.

" _The line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me  
And no one knows, how far it goes  
If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me  
One day I'll know, how far I'll go_"

"How far do you want to go, my love?" Blaine asked with a smile. "Apparently, we're some sort of eternal soulmates that get to go and live different lives and fall in love with each other over and over again, just like in my proposal speech."

"Really?" Kurt asked. "I wonder if this was that feeling I was talking about that was somehow always out of my grasp."

"Possibly," the man behind the podium said. "Any idea what kind of lives you'd like to live next?" It had never taken them this long to 'come back' to the memories they had of their previous lives, but he knew they would eventually.

Kurt and Blaine just looked at each other, knowing the possibilities were limitless. They knew that no matter what, no matter where, they'd go together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for going on this journey with me. I loved writing this story and am so happy to finally be able to share it with everyone.

**Author's Note:**

> The song used in the title is "How Far I'll Go" from Moana.


End file.
